Civil Pioneer Force Ordinance, 1965

Enacted during the state of emergency declared amid the 1965 war with India, this Ordinance created the Civil Pioneer Force — a civilian, paramilitary-style labour force that could be mobilised to support defence and public-order needs. Section 3 lets the Federal Government raise, disband or reconstitute units of the Force anywhere in Pakistan. Section 4 defines its duties: repairing and maintaining communication lines, clearing roads after enemy action, building diversions during floods, constructing defence works and air-raid shelters, manning vital installations in emergencies, clearing debris after bombardment, and performing work in factories, workshops and shipyards — all when called on by the Federal or a Provincial Government for defence, public safety, public order, or maintaining essential supplies and services.

Section 5 sets out three tiers of officers — gazetted Class I (Chief Controllers down to Group Officers), gazetted Class II (Administrative and Store Officers), and non-gazetted officers (Chief Supervisors and below) — with Section 6 governing their appointment and Section 7 governing enrolment of ordinary members: any Pakistani citizen aged 18 or over may volunteer, provided they are not already serving in the armed forces, civil armed forces, or other listed defence-related bodies. Section 9 makes enrolled members bound to serve until discharged, and Section 10 entitles them to discharge at the end of their enrolment period or on reaching age 50.

The Ordinance sets out a full internal disciplinary and criminal code. Section 11 defines 'major offences' — mutiny, assaulting a superior officer, or (specifically while serving in a declared war area) desertion, disobedience, spreading false alarms, or plundering property — punishable with imprisonment up to seven years and a fine up to five hundred rupees. Section 12 defines lesser 'minor offences' — intoxication on duty, insubordination, refusing to work, self-inflicted injury to avoid service, or desertion outside a war area — punishable with imprisonment up to one year, or a fine up to five hundred rupees, or both. Sections 14-16 let a Controller or Chief Controller dispose of minor offences summarily (confinement up to seven days, extra duty, or forfeiture of up to a month's pay for Civil Pioneers; reduction in rank, pay forfeiture or reprimand for non-gazetted officers), while more serious or unresolved minor-offence cases go to a Summary Court made up of a Magistrate, a Controller, and a third person appointed by the Provincial Government (Section 18).

Section 22 allows police to arrest a deserting member of the Force without a warrant, in the same manner as an ordinary fugitive. Section 26 empowers the Federal Government to make detailed rules covering appointments, training, clothing, equipment, and compensation for injury or death of enrolled persons.

This is a 1965 emergency-era law that has since been amended (notably by a 1975 order updating 'Central Government' references to 'Federal Government', and a 1983 amending Ordinance that added detail to the offence and summary-disposal provisions), so its current operative status and any procedural updates should be checked against the present official text.