Balochistan Levies is a paramilitarygendarmerie in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It operates as one of two primary law enforcement agencies tasked with maintaining law and order in the province. The levies force has jurisdiction in most districts of Balochistan. The force has its origins back in the days of the British Raj, and has continued to function for over a century. It is headed by a director-general and is mostly constituted by local security personnel, including Baloch and Pashtun officers. During the regime of Pervez Musharraf, the Balochistan Levies had been disbanded and merged into the provincial police force. It was restored in 2010. Areas which are manned by and are under the control of the Levies are called "B-Areas" which constitute around 90% of the total area of Balochistan while those under the control of the Balochistan Police are dubbed "A-Areas" i.e around 10%. The levies have been praised for their efficiency and reliability compared to the police force; this is attributed to the fact that it predominantly consists of local officers who are familiar with and well accustomed to the political and law and order landscape of Balochistan, thus fulfilling the concept of community policing, whereas the police force predominantly consists of non-locals. It is also in charge of more areas as compared to the police, and yet has a lower budget, rendering it the "cheapest available law enforcement agency". However, many critics have contended that the force has been used by Baloch tribal chiefs to serve their own interests. The force has often been targeted by militants involved in the insurgency in Balochistan. In 2018 the Balochistan government embarked on a four year long levies reorganization to improve the force "to turn it into a professional and motivated law-enforcement agency."
Balochistan Police is responsible for the law and order situation in mostly urban areas only, which are called A areas. This division has been in place, in various forms, since the time of the British Raj. Balochistan's rural areas, called B areas, are policed by the Balochistan Levies. The Frontier Corps operates in both areas. This division is seen as a severe handicap by the police and Levies as criminals based outside their areas of jurisdiction can easily plan attacks and run away. The distinction was eliminated by Musharraf, however, it was brought back by the PPP government of 2008 under CM Balochistan Aslam Raisani. The frequent swings in policy obviously do not allow institution-building and hurt the agencies' abilities to deal with crime. Since Pakistan's post 9/11 involvement in the Global War on Terrortargeted killings, kidnappings, and terrorist attacks have risen substantially. In 2013 there were several bombings targeting the Hazara community in Quetta. and attacks on police including senior officials.
Duties
Balochistan Levies duties include but are not limited to the following:
Maintenance of law and order which includes patrolling and highway patrol,
Execution and service of judicial summons and warrants and manning gaols.
Protection of vital installations, railways tracks, bridges and culverts, buildings and railways.
Collection of land revenue, usher, agriculture taxes, and all kinds of loans including Bank Loans.
Organization
The Balochistan Levies, covering 90 per cent areas of Balochistan, is headed by the Director General Levies Force who is assisted by three Directors; Operations, Administration, and Intelligence & Investigations. The current DG proposed to establish new wings for counter-terrorism, digital communication, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor security, intelligence and investigation, plus establish a quick response force and bomb disposal squad. He also wants to expand the Levies by another 2000 members. There are currently six Levy Zones each Headed by a Director who controls three or more District Area of Operations:
Quetta, covering Pishin, Killah Abdullah, and Ziarat districts
Sibi, covering Sibi, Kachhi, Jhal Magsi, and Dera Bugti districts
Kalat, covering Khuzdar, Kalat, and Awaram districts
Chagai, covering Chagai, Mastung, Kharan, and Nushki districts
Mekran, covering Kech, Panjgur, and Gwadar districts
Note: Gwadar is to be redesignated an "A-Area" and thus be turned over to the Balochistan Police. thereby reducing the covered districts from 23 to 22, out of 30 total.
