Orakzai Scouts
{{Short description|Pakistani paramilitary unit}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Use Pakistan English|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = Orakzai Scouts
| native_name = {{langx|ur|اورکزئی سکاؤٹس}}
| image =
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| dates = 1972 – present
| disbanded =
| country = {{flag|Pakistan}}
| allegiance = {{Coat of arms|Pakistan|size=15px|text=none}} Ministry of Interior
| branch = Frontier Corps
| type = Regiment
| role = Border patrol
Counterterrorism
COIN
Law enforcement
| size = 6 Wings
| command_structure = Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (South)
| garrison = Kalaya
| garrison_label =
| nickname =
| motto = {{lang|ps|بريالی}},'Victorious'
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| battles = {{Tree list}}
- War on Terror
- Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Operation Khyber
- Dara Adam-Khel Offensive
{{tree list/end}}
| battles_label = Engagements
| decorations =
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| website =
| current_commander = Tasneem Khan {{cite web |url=https://www.nation.com.pk/11-Dec-2022/car-motorcycle-rally-held-to-promote-peace |title=Car, motorcycle rally held to promote peace |date=11 December 2022 |publisher=The Nation |access-date=22 December 2022}}
| commander1 = Rai Kashif Amin {{cite web |url=https://pakobserver.net/two-day-orakzai-festival-concludes/ |title=Two-day Orakzai Festival concludes |date=21 March 2022 |publisher=Pakistan Observer |access-date=22 December 2022}}
| commander1_label = Previous commandant
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The Orakzai Scouts is a regiment sized unit of the Frontier Corps KPK (south)'s South-Western Sector Headquarters. The unit guards the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in various areas and also supports law & order within Orakzai District. {{cite web |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/643769/making-history-orakzai-scouts-to-be-permanently-deployed |title=Making history: Orakzai Scouts to be permanently deployed |date=10 December 2013 |author= |publisher=The Express Tribune |access-date=22 December 2022}}{{Cite book |title=AZMARI DA GHRONO (THE MOUNTAIN LIONS) |last=Qadri |first=Azam |publisher=PARAMOUNT BOOKS |language=English |url=https://paramountbooks.com.pk/products/azmari-da-ghrono-the-mountain-lions?srsltid=AfmBOorgzj7anrLUs6c8zDhQf8d7pqK1lTC8XNzob-CAlYcWHlagJhCH}}
History
The regiment was raised in 1972. 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 program, to assist in their work against drug smuggling.{{cite web |url=https://www.unodc.org/documents/pakistan/Precursors_report_25_feb_2011.pdf |title=Equipping Pakistan's Law Enforcement For Interdiction |date=25 February 2011 |publisher=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime |access-date=21 December 2022}} One initiative in August 2021 saw the Scouts 235 Wing organise training to help farmers find alternatives to poppy cultivation such as mushroom farming.{{cite web |url=https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2021/08/21/kp-govt-starts-mushroom-cultivation-to-promote-high-income-legal-work/ |title=KP govt starts mushroom cultivation to promote high-income, legal work |date=21 August 2021 |publisher=Pakistan Today |access-date=22 December 2022}}
The regiment has been involved in combatting the insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Shortly after the start of Operation Khyber by 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.{{cite web |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/784848/check-post-attacked-eight-troops-20-militants-killed-in-orakzai-clash |title=Check post attacked: Eight troops, 20 militants killed in Orakzai clash |date=2 November 2014 |publisher=The Express Tribune |access-date=22 December 2022}}
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.{{cite web |url= https://www.dawn.com/news/1494868/eight-children-among-14-killed-in-rain-related-incidents-in-kp |title=Eight children among 14 killed in rain-related incidents in KP |date=19 July 2019 |publisher=Dawn |access-date=22 December 2022}}
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 in Kalaya including a kabbadi competition.{{cite web |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/905644/orakzai-sports-culture-festival-concludes-amid-fun/ |title=Orakzai sports, culture festival concludes amid fun |date=22 March 2022 |publisher=Daily Times |access-date=22 December 2022}} The Commandant attended a motoring event in December 2022.
Structure
The unit is composed of a headquarters wing with six battalion-sized maneuver wings and a special operations group. It had a 2020/21 budget of {{PKR|1.83 billion|link=yes}}{{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=2540 |publisher=National Assembly of Pakistan |access-date=22 December 2022}}
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{{col-2}}
- Headquarters Wing
- 231 Wing{{cite web |url=http://pcp.gov.pk/SiteImage/Downloads/Issue-37%20Dated%2009-09-2020.pdf |title=The Gazette of Pakistan. Part III. |publisher=Government of Pakistan |date=4 May 2020 |access-date=12 December 2022}}{{rp|732}}
- 232 Wing{{rp|732}}
- 233 Wing{{cite web |url=http://www.pcp.gov.pk/SiteImage/Downloads/Issue-3%20Dated%2020-01-2021.pdf |title=The Gazette of Pakistan. Part III. |publisher=Government of Pakistan |date=20 January 2021 |access-date=15 December 2022}}{{rp|47}}
{{col-2}}
- 234 Wing{{cite web |url=http://www.pcp.gov.pk/SiteImage/Downloads/Issue-6%20Dated%2005-02-2020.pdf |title=The Gazette of Pakistan. Part III. |page=116 |publisher=Government of Pakistan |date=20 September 2019 |access-date=11 December 2022}}
- 235 Wing
- 236 Wing{{cite web |url=http://www.pcp.gov.pk/SiteImage/Downloads/Issue-34%20Dated%2019-08-2020.pdf |title=The Gazette of Pakistan. Part III. |page=659 |publisher=Government of Pakistan |date=19 August 2020 |access-date=12 December 2022}}
- Special Operation Group{{rp|45}}
{{col-end}}