PESHAWAR: Corps Commander, Peshawar, Lt-Gen Hidayatur Rehman on Saturday announced bifurcation of the Frontier Corps (FC) into two separate wings to protect the country’s western border.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 53rd Frontier Corps Week at the Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed Stadium here, he said that the new wings were being raised and there would be two FCs with separate headquarters and two inspectors general.

General Rehman said that the bifurcation of the force would strengthen its role.

Sources familiar with the contours of the plan told Dawn that the force would be split into two branches of north and south. A source said that areas lying to the south of Kohat tunnel and spanning up to Waziristan agencies would be under the FC south, while rest of the areas up to Chitral would fall under FC north.

The source said that FC north would be based at the Balahisar, Peshawar, while its southern counterpart would be headquartered at Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu or Kohat.

He said that the strength of the force would also be increased and it would likely be deployed in case of military pull-out from the border areas. He said that the plan was yet to be implemented. He said that the force would be tasked with securing the western border.

Peshawar Corps commander opens 53rd Frontier Corps Week celebrations

General Rehman paid tribute to the FC’s role in the war on terror and said that the force had come of age during over the decade-long war. He said that previously this force had a restricted role and equipment. He said that any commander could take pride on the way this FC had developed over the years.

He said that FC took part in all operations where terrorists’ bases were cleared. He said that the security forces had eliminated terrorist bases all over the country. The corps commander, however, said that still there were terrorist activities taking place.

He said that FC had proved itself at par with other branches of the armed forces and the law enforcement agencies. He said that this force had played a pivotal role during the difficult times faced by the country over past decade.

A statement issued here said that the FC Week marked the rich history of the traditions and culture of troops. It said that during the ceremony the Special Operations Group of FC, including female soldiers, displayed employment drills and close quarter combat.

Published in Dawn November 20th, 2016