ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s transformation of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) border paramilitary force into a federal force ahead of planned protests by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party this week sparked fears of political repression in the country, with opposition members and analysts saying the new nationwide force could be used as a “tool to suppress political opponents.”

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari allowed the government to turn Frontier Constabulary into the national security force, called Federal Constabulary, through an ordinance on Monday in order to support law enforcement agencies and to address evolving security challenges across the South Asian country.

The paramilitary force was initially formed to uphold law and order in border and frontier regions, according to the ordinance. However, the evolving conditions, marked by frequent emergencies, natural disasters, civil disturbances and other emerging risks, created the need for a more flexible and capable force to effectively respond to these challenges.

The move has raised concerns among opposition parties, particularly Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which fears that the new force could be used as a means of political repression amid its 90-day anti-government protest movement, announced on July 13.

“From the looks of it, it’s a safe assumption that such laws are being inflicted, just ahead of political movement announced by PTI, as a tool to suppress political opponents,” Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, a close Khan aide, told Arab News.

Pakistan ranks as the second-most affected country by militancy, according to The Global Terrorism Index 2025. Militancy-related deaths surged by 45 percent, rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024, marking one of the steepest global increases. The attacks in Pakistan more than doubled, from 517 in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024.

The new duties of the Federal Constabulary, whose cadres were previously recruited only from tribes in the northwestern KP province, will include internal security, riot control and counter-terrorism.

The government’s move to transform the force came ahead of planned protests by Khan’s PTI on Aug. 5, the second anniversary of his arrest. Several such protests by the party since Khan’s brief arrest in May 2023 have turned violent, in some cases paralyzing the capital Islamabad for days.

In the near future, PTI’s Bukhari said, it would be clear if the law was being introduced to, in fact, address security challenges or to stop any political movement that could endanger the existence of the “current, so-called democracy.”

“The new force should not be used as a gimmick to silence political opponents as has been previously witnessed, when the government applied such laws against a large number of the PTI leadership and supporters,” he added.

Khan’s party has been protesting to secure to secure his release and an audit of the Fed. 2024 general election, which it says was rigged to benefit its opponents. Pakistan’s election authorities deny the allegation, while the government accuses Khan’s party of attempting to disrupt its efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth through violent protests.

Ali Imtiaz Warraich, the PTI parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly, said “crushing the public mandate” would never result in stability of the country.

“Federal and Punjab governments’ only focus is PTI and all actions taken are only PTI-centered,” he told Arab News, adding that it had not worked in past, nor would it work in future.

However, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the Federal Constabulary should not be mistaken for a federal police force.

“It will continue to function as a constabulary as the restructuring and renaming are solely aimed at strengthening internal and national security,” he said this week, adding the overhaul was institutionally essential to enhance coordination, improve compensation and build operational capacity of the force throughout all provinces and territories.

“This is entirely a defense-oriented initiative intended to reinforce national security by supporting law enforcement agencies,” he added.

Chaudhry stated the restructuring was also an administrative necessity as despite its significant contributions, the force had long been overlooked and continued to function with limited salaries and benefits compared to other security forces in Pakistan.

“Its transformation into a federal force is to eliminate existing disparities by upgrading its structure and scope under the new title,” he said, adding the reorganization was aimed at ensuring that FC personnel receive salaries, training and benefits at par with other national security forces.

Under the new federal framework, FC’s jurisdiction would extend across all four provinces as well as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, according to the minister.

“While continuing to perform its duties under this redefined structure, the Federal Constabulary will build on its longstanding role in combating drug trafficking and smuggling and in assisting civil law enforcement during sensitive occasions such as Muharram, general elections and anti-polio campaigns,” he said.

Arab News spoke to some analysts about the government’s move, who voiced concerns about the timing, intent and potential misuse of the new force.

“There is always a risk of such a force being misused in Pakistan,” Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), told Arab News.

“The Frontier Constabulary was already under federal control, so it’s unclear why this transformation was necessary, especially at a time when the country’s major opposition party has announced a protest movement.”

Ather Kazmi, an analyst and political commentator, said the urgency with which the revamp was carried out through an ordinance had raised many eyebrows.

“Although the government claimed it was an administrative necessity, its timing and urgency have led PTI and others to believe it has political purposes,” he told Arab News.

Kazmi said it remained to be seen how the new force would operate after its jurisdiction was extended nationwide, given that law and order became a provincial subject after the 18th amendment of the Constitution of Pakistan.

“It would not be easy for the government to deploy this force in provinces governed by the opposition, such as KP,” he noted.