ThePakistan Rangers (Urdu:پاکستان رینجرز) are a pair ofparamilitary federallaw enforcement corps' inPakistan. The two corps are thePunjab Rangers (operating inPunjab province with headquarters inLahore) and theSindh Rangers (operating inSindh province with headquarters inKarachi). There is a third corps headquarters inIslamabad but it is only for units transferred from the other corps for duties in the federal capital. They are both part of theCivil Armed Forces.

The corps' operate administratively under thePakistan Army but under separate command structures and wear distinctly different uniforms. However, they are usually commanded by officers on secondment from the Pakistan Army. Their primary purpose is to secure and defend the approximately 2,200 km (1,400 mi) long mutually recognisedIndia–Pakistan border. This border does not include the heavily militarizedLine of Control (LoC) in theKashmir conflict, where the Pakistani province of Punjab adjoins Indian-administeredJammu and Kashmir. Consequently, the LoC is not managed by the paramilitary Punjab Rangers, but by the Pakistan Army. They are also often involved in major internal and external security operations with the regularPakistani military and provide assistance to provincial police forces to maintain law and order against crime, terrorism and unrest. In addition, the Punjab Rangers, together with the IndianBorder Security Force, participate in an elaborateflag lowering ceremony at theWagah−Attari border crossing east of Lahore.

As part of the paramilitaryCivil Armed Forces, the Rangers can be transferred to full operational control of the Pakistan Army in wartime and whenever Article 245 of theConstitution of Pakistan is invoked to provide "military aid to civil power". An example of this is theSindh Rangers deployment in Karachi to tackle rising crime and terrorism. Although these deployments are officially temporary because the provincial and federal governments have to allocate policing powers to the corps, they have in effect become permanent because of repeated renewal of those powers.

In July 2025, a tragic incident inKarachi's SITE-A Area drew attention to the deteriorating morale and working conditions within thePakistan Rangers. A clash between a Rangers personnel and a police officer escalated into a deadly shootout, resulting in the death ofPolice Constable Waseem Akhtar and serious injuries to a Rangers official, Nauman, who was deployed with the 34 Wing. Nauman, reportedly under extreme stress, remains unconscious in hospital care.

Observers and law enforcement sources noted that the altercation reflected deeper systemic issues, including poor mental health support, low wages, and inadequate living conditions faced by paramilitary personnel. The incident reignited public debate over the lack of institutional reforms and the psychological toll onfrontline forces operating in high-pressure urban deployment.^[5]

The origins of the Pakistan Rangers go back to 1942, when theBritish government established a special unit inSindh known as the Sindh Police Rifles (SPR) which was commanded by British Indian Army officers. The force was established to fight the rebellious groups in sindh as theBritish government was engaged inWorld War II. Headquarters of this force was established in Miani Lines Pacca Barrack,Hyderabad Cantonment.

After theindependence of Pakistan in 1947, the name of the force was changed from "Sindh Police Rifles" to "Sindh Police Rangers" and the protection of eastern boundaries with India was allotted to various temporary forces, such as the Punjab Border Police Force, Bahawalpur State Police, Khairpur State Police and Sindh Police Rangers.

Because the Rangers were neither correctly structured nor outfitted for a specific duty, on 7 October 1958 they were restructured and renamed to theWest Pakistan Rangers.^[4] In 1972, following theindependence ofEast Pakistan and Legal Framework Order No. 1970 by theGovernment of Pakistan, the force was officially renamed from the West Pakistan Rangers to the Pakistan Rangers and put under control of theMinistry of Defence with its headquarters atLahore.

In 1974, the organization became part of theCivil Armed Forces under thePakistani Ministry of Interior, where it has remained since.

In late 1989, due to growing riots and the worsening situation of law and order in the province of Sindh, a new force was raised for a strategicanti-dacoit operation. Theparamilitary force operated under the name of theMehran Force and consisted of the then-existing Sindh Rangers, three battalions of thePakistan Army (including theNorthern Scouts). The Mehran Force was under the direct command of theDirector-General (DG) of the Pakistan Rangers with its nucleus headquarters at theJinnah Courts in Karachi.

Following these series of events, the federal government decided to substantially increase the strength of the Pakistan Rangers and raise a separate, dedicated headquarters for them in the province of Sindh. On 1 July 1995 the Pakistan Rangers were bifurcated into two distinct forces, the Pakistan Rangers – Punjab (Punjab Rangers) and Pakistan Rangers – Sindh (Sindh Rangers). Consequently, the Mehran Force and other Pakistani paramilitary units operating in the province of Sindh were merged with and began to operate under the Sindh Rangers.^[6]

TheWest Pakistan Rangers fought alongside thePakistan Army in several conflicts, namely theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965 and theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971.^[7] After the war in 1971 andsubsequent independence ofBangladesh, the force was federalized under theMinistry of Defence as the Pakistan Rangers and shortly afterwards in 1974, it was made a component of theCivil Armed Forces (CAF) under theMinistry of Interior. Since then, the Pakistan Rangers are primarily responsible for guarding the border with neighbouringIndia during times of peace and war.

The Pakistan Rangers have participated in military exercises with thePakistan Army's Special Service Group (SSG) and also assisted with military operations in the past since their revitalization and rebuilding after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The first such participation was in 1973, when they operated under the command of the SSG toraid the Iraqi embassy in Islamabad alongsidelocal police. In 1992, the Sindh Rangers saw an extensive deployment throughout Karachi to keep peace in the city in support of theGovernment of Sindh. TheSindh Provincial Police and Pakistan Rangers were involved inOperation Blue Fox against theMQM with direction from the Pakistan Army. Due to their close association with the military, the Rangers also saw combat againstregular Indian troops during theKargil War of 1999 inKashmir. In 2007, the Pakistan Rangers alongside regular Pakistani soldiers and SSG commandos participated inOperation Silence against aJihadistprivate militia inIslamabad. The conflict started when, after 18 months of tensions between government authorities and Islamist militia, then the militia attacked the Punjab Rangers guarding the nearbyMinistry of Environment building andset it ablaze and subsequently locked themselves inside theRed Mosque.^[8][9] Two years later, in 2009, the Rangers once again participated in a special military operation in Lahore alongside the SSG, when twelve terrorists operating for the Taliban attacked theManawan Police Academy inLahore. The operation ended with eight militants killed and four captured.^[10] Later that year, theGovernment of Pakistan deployed the Punjab Rangers to secure the outskirts ofIslamabad when the Taliban had taken over theBuner,Lower Dir,Swat andShangla districts. Following these incidents, the Rangers participated in the Pakistan Army'sOperation Black Thunderstorm.^[11]

Aside from the primary objective of guarding the border withIndia, the Rangers are also responsible for maintaining internal security inPakistan and serve as a majorlaw enforcement organization in the country. Despite this, they do not possess the power to make arrests like the regular police with the exception of when the state temporarily sanctions them with such an authority in times of extreme crisis. Their primary objective as an internal security force is to prevent and suppress crime by taking preventive security measures, cracking down on criminals and thwartingorganized crime with the use of major force. All suspects apprehended by the Rangers during a crackdown are later handed over to police for further investigation and possible prosecution when the chaos is brought under control. The same privileges are also temporarily granted by thegovernment to other security organizations such as theFrontier Corps for the same reasons.

The Rangers are also tasked with securing important monuments and guarding national assets in all major cities, includingIslamabad.

In the past, they have also served as prison guards for high-profile terrorists until they were withdrawn from such duties.^[12]

The Rangers have notably contributed towards maintaining law and order inIslamabad,Karachi andLahore in major crises. Due to thedeveloping internal instability in Pakistan, the Rangers have become an extremely necessary force to maintain order throughout the provinces ofSindh andPunjab.

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Pakistan Rangers v t e
							Director general ڈائریکٹر جنرل						Senior superintendent of the Rangers سینئر سپرنٹنڈنٹ۔		Superintendent of the Rangers سپرنٹنڈنٹ		Deputy superintendent of the Rangers ڈپٹی سپرنٹنڈنٹ۔		Inspector انسپکٹر			Direct EntrySub inspector ڈائریکٹ انٹری سب انسپکٹر۔

Rank group	Junior commissioned officers										Non commissioned officer												Enlisted
Pakistan Rangers v t e																													No insignia
	Senior inspector سینئر انسپکٹر۔						Inspector انسپکٹر		Sub inspector سب انسپکٹر۔		Havildar حوالدار۔												Naik نائیک۔				Lance Naik لانس نائیک۔		Sepoy سپاہی۔

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  Pakistani Rangers guarding theTomb of Muhammad Iqbal inIqbal Park, Lahore
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  Baba Chamliyal Mela at theIndo-Pakistani International Border, nearJammu.
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  IndianBSF personnel and Pakistani Rangers during theWagah-Attari border ceremony.
• 
  A Pakistani Ranger in ceremonial dress.
• 
  A Pakistani Ranger standing by in ceremonial dress.
• 
  A Pakistani Ranger during theWagah-Attari border ceremony.
• 
  Pakistani Rangers at the Wagah-Attari border crossing.
• 
  Punjab Rangers near theIndo-Pakistani border withG3 battle rifles.

• United Nations peacekeeping missions involving Pakistan
• Civil Armed Forces
• National Guard (Pakistan)
• Pakistan Levies

External video
Pakistan Rangers song

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• Official Web Portal of Pakistan Rangers (Sindh)
• Pakistan Rangers (Punjab)
• Pakistan Rangers

• Pakistan Rangers
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• Military in Punjab, Pakistan
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• 1959 establishments in Pakistan
• Government agencies established in 1942

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