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{{Short description|Pakistani paramilitary force}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox law enforcement agency
| agencyname        = Pakistan Rangers
| nativenamea       = {{nobold|{{Nastaliq|پاکستان رینجرز}}}}
| divname           = [[Punjab Rangers]] in [[Punjab]] and [[Sindh Rangers]] in [[Sindh]]
| commonname        = Rangers
| abbreviation      = PR
| patch             = 
| patchcaption      = 
| logo              = 
| logocaption       = 
| badge             = 
| badgecaption      = 
| flag              = 
| flagcaption       = 
| image_size        = 250px
| motto             = Ever ready<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-06 |title=Valiant Punjab Rangers in 65 War |first1=Ijaz |last1=Sandhu |url=https://nation.com.pk/06-Sep-2021/valiant-punjab-rangers-in-65-war |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=The Nation |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229165911/https://nation.com.pk/06-Sep-2021/valiant-punjab-rangers-in-65-war |archive-date= Dec 29, 2022 }}</ref>
| formed            = {{start date and age|1942}} (as Sindh Rifles)
| employees         = 40,730<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-NOYEAAAQBAJ |title=Insecure Guardians: Enforcement, Encounters and Everyday Policing in Postcolonial Karachi |chapter=5: The other brother. A contested policing partnership. |date=2022 |last=Waseem |first=Zoha |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-768873-1 |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref>
| budget            = {{PKR|25.95 billion|link=yes}} (2020)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://na.gov.pk/uploads/1591967197_724.pdf |title=Federal Budget 2020–2021: Details of demands for grants and appropriations | volume=3 |page=2531 |publisher=[[National Assembly of Pakistan]] |access-date=19 December 2022}}</ref>
| country           = Pakistan
| countryabbr       = 
| federal           = Yes
| map               = 
| mapcaption        = 
| sizearea          = 317,164 km² (134,041 sq mi)
| sizepopulation    = 185,748,932
| legaljuris        = [[Sindh]]<br>[[Punjab]]<br>[[Islamabad Capital Territory]]
| governingbody     = [[Ministry of Interior (Pakistan)|Ministry of Interior]]
| constitution1     = Pakistan Rangers Ordinance,&nbsp;1959<ref name="act">{{Cite act|title=Pakistan Rangers Ordinance, 1959|url=http://punjablaws.gov.pk/laws/106.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715113652/http://punjablaws.gov.pk/laws/106.html|archive-date=2019-07-15|index=XIV|year=1959|type=Ordinance|access-date=2020-10-16|website=Punjab Laws Online }}</ref>
| speciality1       = paramilitary
| speciality2       = border
| headquarters      = * [[Lahore]], [[Punjab]] ([[Punjab Rangers]])
* [[Karachi]], [[Sindh]] ([[Sindh Rangers]])
*[[Islamabad]], [[Islamabad Capital Territory]] (Federal Rangers)
| electeetype       = 
| minister1name     = 
| minister1pfo      = 
| chief1name        = [[Major-General]] Atif Bin Akram
| chief1position    = [[Director General|Director-General]], Punjab
| chief2name        = [[Major-General|Major General]] Shamraiz Khan
| chief2position    = [[Director General|Director-General]], Sindh
| parentagency      = [[Civil Armed Forces]]
| footnotes         = 
| reference         = 
| website           = {{url|https://pakistanrangerssindh.org}} <br> {{url|https://pakistanrangers.punjab.gov.pk}}
}}

The '''Pakistan Rangers''' ({{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|پاکستان رینجرز}}}}) are a pair of [[paramilitary]] federal [[Law enforcement in Pakistan|law enforcement]] corps' in [[Pakistan]]. The two corps are the [[Punjab Rangers]] (operating in [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab province]] with headquarters in [[Lahore]]) and the [[Sindh Rangers]] (operating in [[Sindh]] province with headquarters in [[Karachi]]). There is a third corps headquarters in [[Islamabad]] but it is only for units transferred from the other corps for duties in the federal capital. They are both part of the [[Civil Armed Forces]]. 

The corps' operate administratively under the [[Pakistan 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 {{Convert|2200|km|mi|abbr=on}} long mutually recognised [[India–Pakistan border]]. This border does not include the heavily militarized [[Line of Control]] (LoC) in the [[Kashmir conflict]], where the Pakistani province of Punjab adjoins Indian-administered [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu 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 regular [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistani 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 Indian [[Border Security Force]], participate in an elaborate [[Attari–Wagah border ceremony|flag lowering ceremony]] at the [[Wagah]]−[[Attari]] border crossing east of Lahore.

As part of the paramilitary [[Civil Armed Forces]], the Rangers can be transferred to full operational control of the Pakistan Army in wartime and whenever Article 245 of the [[Constitution of Pakistan]] is invoked to provide "military aid to civil power". An example of this is the [[Sindh Rangers#Deployment in Karachi|Sindh 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.

==History==
[[Image:Pakistan ranger soldier.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A uniformed Sindh Ranger in [[Desert Battle Dress Uniform]] armed with a [[Heckler & Koch MP5#Variants|Heckler & Koch/POF MP5]].]]
The origins of the Pakistan Rangers go back to 1942, when the [[British Raj|British government]] established a special unit in [[Sindh]] 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 the [[British Raj|British government]] was engaged in [[World War II]]. Headquarters of this force was established in Miani Lines Pacca Barrack, [[Hyderabad Garrison|Hyderabad Cantonment]].

After the [[Independence Day (Pakistan)|independence 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 the [[West Pakistan]] Rangers.<ref name="act"/> In 1972, following the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|independence]] of [[East Pakistan]] and Legal Framework Order No. 1970 by the [[Government of Pakistan]], the force was officially renamed from the West Pakistan Rangers to the Pakistan Rangers and put under control of the [[Ministry of Defence (Pakistan)|Ministry of Defence]] with its headquarters at [[Lahore]].

In 1974, the organization became part of the [[Civil Armed Forces]] under the [[Ministry of Interior (Pakistan)|Pakistani 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 strategic [[Dacoity|anti-dacoit]] operation. The [[paramilitary]] force operated under the name of the [[Mehran Force]] and consisted of the then-existing Sindh Rangers, three battalions of the [[Pakistan Army]] (including the [[Northern Light Infantry|Northern Scouts]]). The Mehran Force was under the direct command of the [[Director general|Director-General (DG)]] of the Pakistan Rangers with its nucleus headquarters at the [[Jinnah 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.<ref name="strelok">{{cite web |url=http://strelok-analysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Pakistans-Rengers.pdf |title=Pakistan Rangers |first=Igor |last=Pejek |editor-first=Jovana |editor-last=Ljubic |work=Strelok Analysis |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827000941/http://strelok-analysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Pakistans-Rengers.pdf |archive-date=2017-08-27}}</ref>

===Wartime responsibilities===
[[File:Pak Ranger at Wagah.jpg|thumb|A Punjab Ranger at the [[Wagah]] border.]]
The [[West Pakistan]] Rangers fought alongside the [[Pakistan Army]] in several conflicts, namely the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] and the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]].<ref name="PAR(P)">{{cite web |url=http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/AWPReview/TextContent.aspx?pId=139 |title=Pakistan Army Rangers (Punjab) |date=2009 |website=Pakistan Army |publisher=[[Inter Services Public Relations]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824203717/http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/AWPReview/TextContent.aspx?pId=139 |archive-date=August 24, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> After the war in 1971 and [[Bangladesh Liberation War|subsequent independence]] of [[Bangladesh]], the force was federalized under the [[Ministry of Defence (Pakistan)|Ministry of Defence]] as the Pakistan Rangers and shortly afterwards in 1974, it was made a component of the [[Civil Armed Forces]] (CAF) under the [[Ministry of Interior (Pakistan)|Ministry of Interior]]. Since then, the Pakistan Rangers are primarily responsible for guarding the border with neighbouring [[India]] during times of peace and war. 

The Pakistan Rangers have participated in military exercises with the [[Special Service Group|Pakistan 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 to [[1973 raid on the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan|raid the Iraqi embassy in Islamabad]] alongside [[Capital Territory Police|local police]]. In 1992, the Sindh Rangers saw an extensive deployment throughout Karachi to keep peace in the city in support of the [[Government of Sindh]]. The [[Sindh Police|Sindh Provincial Police]] and Pakistan Rangers were involved in [[Operation Clean-up|Operation Blue Fox]] against the [[Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan|MQM]] with direction from the Pakistan Army. Due to their close association with the military, the Rangers also saw combat against [[Indian Army|regular Indian troops]] during the [[Kargil War|Kargil War of 1999]] in [[Kashmir]]. In 2007, the Pakistan Rangers alongside regular Pakistani soldiers and SSG commandos participated in [[Siege of Lal Masjid|Operation Silence]] against [[Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan|Taliban forces]] in [[Islamabad]]. The conflict started when, after 18 months of tensions between government authorities and Islamist militants, Taliban militants attacked the Punjab Rangers guarding the nearby [[Ministry of Environment (Pakistan)|Ministry of Environment]] building and [[Arson|set it ablaze]]. Immediately following this event, they proceeded to attack a nearby Pakistani healthcare centre, kidnapping an abundance of [[China|Chinese]] nurses, and subsequently locked themselves inside the [[Lal Masjid, Islamabad|Red Mosque]] with hostages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geo.tv/important_events/lalmasjid/pages/english_news.asp |title=102 killed in Lal Masjid operation, Sherpao |website=Geo TV |access-date=23 April 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225022318/http://www.geo.tv/important_events/lalmasjid/pages/english_news.asp |archive-date=25 December 2014}}</ref> 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 the [[Manawan Police Training School|Manawan Police Academy]] in [[Lahore]]. The operation ended with eight militants killed and four captured.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7971345.stm |work=BBC News |title=How Pakistan academy attack started |date=30 March 2009}}</ref> Later that year, the [[Government of Pakistan]] deployed the Punjab Rangers to secure the outskirts of [[Islamabad]] when the Taliban had taken over the [[Buner]], [[Lower Dir]], [[Swat, Pakistan|Swat]] and [[Shangla]] districts. Following these incidents, the Rangers participated in the Pakistan Army's [[Operation Black Thunderstorm]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Bill |last=Roggio |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/04/rangers_deployed_to.php |title=Rangers deployed to secure Islamabad outskirts |work=The Long War Journal |date=24 April 2009 |access-date=9 January 2011}}</ref>

==Role==
[[File:Armed guard at allama iqbals tomb.jpeg|thumb|A Ranger in ceremonial dress guarding the [[Tomb of Muhammad Iqbal]] in [[Iqbal Park]], Lahore.]]

Aside from the primary objective of guarding the border with [[India]], the Rangers are also responsible for maintaining internal security in [[Pakistan]] and serve as a major [[Law enforcement in Pakistan|law 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 thwarting [[organized 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 the [[Government of Pakistan|government]] to other security organizations such as the [[Frontier Corps]] for the same reasons.

The Rangers are also tasked with securing important monuments and guarding national assets in all major cities, including [[Islamabad]].

In the past, they have also served as prison guards for high-profile terrorists until they were withdrawn from such duties.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1226883 |title=Punjab withdraws Rangers from guard duties |first=Mohammad |last=Asghar |date=December 17, 2015 |work=Dawn}}</ref>

The Rangers have notably contributed towards maintaining law and order in [[Islamabad]], [[Karachi]] and [[Lahore]] in major crises. Due to the [[Terrorism in Pakistan|developing internal instability in Pakistan]], the Rangers have become an extremely necessary force to maintain order throughout the provinces of [[Sindh]] and [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]].

== Ranks ==
{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armed Forces/OF/Blank}}
{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/Pakistan Rangers}}
|}

{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
|- style="background:#ccc;"
! Rank group|| colspan=10| Junior commissioned officers || colspan=12| Non commissioned officer || colspan=14| Enlisted
{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/Pakistan Rangers}}
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Allama Iqbals Tomb East wall close-up July 1 2005.jpg|Pakistani Rangers guarding the [[Tomb of Muhammad Iqbal]] in [[Iqbal Park]], Lahore
File:Baba Chamliyal Mela at Indo-Pak international Border, near Jammu.jpg|Baba Chamliyal Mela at the [[India–Pakistan border|Indo-Pakistani International Border]], near [[Jammu]].
File:Wagah Border Crossing Guards.JPG|Indian [[Border Security Force|BSF]] personnel and Pakistani Rangers during the [[Wagah-Attari border ceremony]].
File:Pakistani Ranger.jpg|A Pakistani Ranger in ceremonial dress.
File:Pakistani soldier.jpg|A Pakistani Ranger standing by in ceremonial dress.
File:Wagah border ceremony4.jpg|A Pakistani Ranger during the [[Wagah-Attari border ceremony]].
File:Pakistani border rangers at Wagah border near Lahore 5.jpg|Pakistani Rangers at the Wagah-Attari border crossing.
File:Soldiers at Wagah border.jpg|Punjab Rangers near the [[India–Pakistan border|Indo-Pakistani border]] with [[Heckler & Koch G3|G3 battle rifles]].
</gallery>
{{clear}}

==See also==
* [[United Nations peacekeeping missions involving Pakistan]]
* [[Civil Armed Forces]]
* [[National Guard (Pakistan)]]
* [[Pakistan Levies]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{external media |caption= |title=External video |video1= [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NdsEDw1iKs Pakistan Rangers song]}}
{{Commons category}}
*[http://pakistanrangerssindh.org/ Official Web Portal of Pakistan Rangers (Sindh)]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120415161214/http://pakistanrangerspunjab.com/ Pakistan Rangers (Punjab)]}} "Under Construction"
*[https://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/AWPReview/TextContentd074.html?pId=139 Pakistan Rangers (Punjab)]

{{Civil Armed Forces}}
{{Law enforcement in Pakistan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakistan Rangers}}
[[Category:Pakistan Rangers|*]]
[[Category:Military in Sindh]]
[[Category:Military in Punjab, Pakistan]]
[[Category:1942 establishments in British India]]
[[Category:1959 establishments in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1942]]