Balochistan Levies
Balochistan Levies is a paramilitary force in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It operates as a law enforcement agency tasked with maintaining law and order in the province.[2] The levies force has jurisdiction in some districts of Balochistan.[3] The force has its origins back in the days of the British Raj, and has continued to function for over a century.[4][5] It is headed by a director-general and is mostly constituted by local security personnel, including Baloch officers.[6] During the regime of Pervez Musharraf, the Balochistan Levies had been disbanded and merged into the provincial police force. It was restored in 2010.[4][7]
Areas which are manned by and are under the control of the Levies are called "B-Areas" while those under the control of the Balochistan Police are dubbed "A-Areas".[8][4][1][9] 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.[4][6] 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.[6][8] The force has often been targeted by militants involved in the insurgency in Balochistan.[10][11]
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