Orakzai Scouts
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(December 2022) |
| Orakzai Scouts | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1972[1] |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Branch | Civil Armed Forces |
| Size | 6 wings |
| Part of | Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North) |
| Regimental centre | Kalaya,Orakzai District[1] |
| Engagements | Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Commanders | |
| Commandant | Tasneem Khan[2] |
| Previous Commandant | Rai Kashif Amin[3] |
TheOrakzai Scoutsis a paramilitary regiment forming part of theFrontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North)inPakistan.The name alludes to theOrakzaitribe and theOrakzai Agency(now a district inKhyber Pakhtunkhwaprovince). The regiment had a 2020/21 budget ofRs.1.83 billion[4]and is composed of a headquarters wing with six battalion-sized manoeuvre wings and aspecial operationsgroup.
History
[edit]The regiment was raised in 1972.[1]The Scouts have been involved in anti-drug smuggling operations. In 2011-2012, the unit received a number of drug testing kits, through a United Nations programme, to assist in their work against drug smuggling.[5]One initiative in August 2021 saw the Scouts 235 Wing organise training to help farmers find alternatives topoppy cultivationsuch as mushroom farming.[6]
The regiment has been involved in combatting theinsurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Shortly after the start ofOperation Khyberby the Pakistani military, eight soldiers were killed in November 2014, when militants attacked a check post. Twenty militants were killed in an immediate counterattack by the regiment.[7]
In July 2019 members of the regiment helped rescue up to 47 injured people and retrieved the bodies of 8 children, after they became trapped in a collapsed house following a rainstorm.[8]
The regiment has also engaged in local culture recently. In partnership with provincial and local government bodies in March 2022, it organised a two-day local sports festival inKalayaincluding akabbadicompetition.[3][9]The Commandant attended a motoring event in December 2022.[2]
Units
[edit]|
|
References
[edit]- ^abc"Making history: Orakzai Scouts to be permanently deployed".The Express Tribune. 10 December 2013.Retrieved22 December2022.
- ^ab"Car, motorcycle rally held to promote peace".The Nation. 11 December 2022.Retrieved22 December2022.
- ^ab"Two-day Orakzai Festival concludes".Pakistan Observer. 21 March 2022.Retrieved22 December2022.
- ^"Federal Budget 2020–2021: Details of demands for grants and appropriations"(PDF).National Assembly of Pakistan.p. 2540.Retrieved22 December2022.
- ^"Equipping Pakistan's Law Enforcement For Interdiction"(PDF).United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.25 February 2011.Retrieved21 December2022.
- ^"KP govt starts mushroom cultivation to promote high-income, legal work".Pakistan Today. 21 August 2021.Retrieved22 December2022.
- ^"Check post attacked: Eight troops, 20 militants killed in Orakzai clash".The Express Tribune. 2 November 2014.Retrieved22 December2022.
- ^"Eight children among 14 killed in rain-related incidents in KP".Dawn.19 July 2019.Retrieved22 December2022.
- ^"Orakzai sports, culture festival concludes amid fun".Daily Times. 22 March 2022.Retrieved22 December2022.
- ^ab"The Gazette of Pakistan. Part III"(PDF).Government of Pakistan. 4 May 2020.Retrieved12 December2022.
- ^ab"The Gazette of Pakistan. Part III"(PDF).Government of Pakistan. 20 January 2021.Retrieved15 December2022.
- ^ab"The Gazette of Pakistan. Part III"(PDF).Government of Pakistan. 20 September 2019. p. 116.Retrieved11 December2022.
- ^"The Gazette of Pakistan. Part III"(PDF).Government of Pakistan. 19 August 2020. p. 659.Retrieved12 December2022.