Punjab Rangers

Pakistan Rangers Punjab پنجاب رینجرز
Insignia of the Punjab Rangers
Common name	Punjab Rangers
Agency overview
Formed	1942; 82 years ago (1942) (as Sindh Rifles) 1995; 29 years ago (1995) (as Pakistan Rangers Punjab)
Employees	16,100
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency	Pakistan
Operations jurisdiction	Pakistan
Map of Punjab Rangers jurisdiction (in red) within Pakistan
Governing body	Ministry of Interior
Constituting instrument	Pakistan Rangers Ordinance, 1959[1]
General nature	Federal law enforcement
Specialist jurisdictions	Paramilitary law enforcement, counter insurgency, and riot control. National border patrol, security, and integrity.
Operational structure
Headquarters	Lahore, Punjab
Agency executive	Major-General Atif Bin Akram, Director General
Parent agency	Civil Armed Forces
Website
pakistanrangers.punjab.gov.pk

The Punjab Rangers (formally Pakistan Rangers Punjab) (Urdu: پنجاب رینجرز) is a federal paramilitary force in Pakistan. It is one of nine Civil Armed Forces and is one of two Ranger forces with the other one being the Sindh Rangers, which operates in Sindh province. The corps operates administratively under the Interior Ministry of Pakistan but is usually commanded by officers on secondment from the Pakistan Army. Their primary purpose is to secure and defend about 1,300 km (810 mi) of the northern part of the border with neighbouring India. They are also often involved in major internal and external security operations with the regular Pakistani military and provide assistance to municipal and provincial police forces to maintain law and order against crime, terrorism and unrest.

As part of the paramilitary Civil Armed Forces, the Rangers can fall under the full operational control of the Pakistan Armed Forces when necessary. This is not exclusively limited to a wartime scenario, but whenever Article 245 of the Constitution of Pakistan is invoked to provide "military aid to civil power".