Frontier Works Organisation
Encyclopedia
Frontier Works Organisation (also known as FWO) is a construction
and military engineering administrative branch of the Pakistani Army that was established in 1966. It is a part of Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers and it has credited to build numerous bridges, roads, tunnels, airfields and dams in Pakistan
. FWO currently led by Major-General Najeeb-Ullah Khan. A popularly known unit, the FWO has credited to design and constructed the Karakoram Highway
as well as building numerous civil and military infrastructure for the Government of Pakistan
and the Pakistani Armed Forces.
and Government of China
under the existing geopolitical compulsions to establish a road link with China. The task was assigned to Pakistan Army
in the view of the sensitive nature of the project but more so because of the difficulty of working in inaccessible remote areas. The army using its Corps of Engineers had already worked in 1959 in connecting Gilgit
with Pakistan through the Indus Valley Road
and hence had the necessary infrastructure already present in the area.
In the summer of 1966, a special military organisation was created by the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of 805-kilometre long Karakoram Highway Road (commonly called KKH).
The funding was provided by the Ministry of Communications
which exercised their control over the gigantic project on behalf of Government of Pakistan. Thus was born the Organisation known as FWO which later on in collaboration with the Chinese military engineers undertook this gigantic task.
(PAEC) in the December of 1985. The FWO completed the engineering design in 1986 and constructed the Uranium mining facility at Baghalchur
in February 1987. The construction of Khushab Nuclear Complex began in somewhere in 1986, the FWO joined PAEC in 1987. The FWO started to established a Army Bridge Camp/Base Depot near at the Khushab, and has completed the project under one month.
Thereafter in 1986, the FWO constructed the nuclear dump waste management plant at the Baghalchur Facility under the code name, Baghalchur Project. The Baghalchur Project was completed in January 1989. The same year and month, the FWO was assigned to build an Excavation building at the Khushab Reactor
, the work was completed in May 1989. In November, 1988, The FWO also build and construct the Additional Link Road under the codename "Phase- lV Base Depot Khushab". The project was completed in May 1991. In October 1990, the FWO was assigned a task to constructed a Plutonium
mining facility near at Punjab. The FWO completed the survey and feasibility studies which took three months. FWO completed the construction of the mining facility in Thola Dagar, Punjab, under the codename Mining Operation in Tholadogar in October 1991.
The last reported work with PAEC was in 25 May 1998 when FWO along side with another specialised military unit Special Development Works (SDW), and the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers (PACE), supervised the underground tunnels which was constructed by the SDW and FWO in the late 1980s. The military scientist
s and engineers
of the Corps of Engineers, FWO, and SDW were also present during the nuclear test at Kharan Desert
, codename Chagai-II.
's engineering corps, Military Engineering Services (MES). The project-director was noted military engineer
then-Brigadier-General Zahid Ali Akbar
. The FWO designed and constructed the road and a bridge
to connect Kahuta
to Khan Research Laboratories
(KRL) (then-known as Engineering Research Laboratories (ERL) under the codename "Road KAK Bridge to KRL". The work was done in September 1983.
, Recarpeting of PAF Base Mianwali, PAF Base Rafiqui, PAF Base Minhas, Murid Airbase
, Risalpur Airbase, and the emergency repair of the Gilgit Airport
. It has also constructed the Gujranwala Air Field and Skardu Airport
.
, particularly the Gwadar port
. In 1980, the contract was awarded to FWO to design, build, and constructed the Gwadar International Airport
. The work was done in 1984 and it was inaugurated the same year. In 1984, FWO installed the Generator Room at Gwadar
as well as it completed the constructed of the Taxiway
at the P.N.S. Mehran
, the naval base of the Naval Air Arm
in 1991. The same year, the FWO design and constructed the Kalmat Naval Base
's naval command office near at the Khor Kalmat
.
in 1985 to constructed the road, under the codename Road Liari Ormara Phase-I. The Balochistan Government continued to work with FWO and, from the period 1985 to 1992, the road project was completed into nine different levels.
/Brigadier-General who is the commanding officer of that FWO group.
Construction engineering
Construction engineering is a professional discipline that deals with the designing, planning, construction, and management of infrastructures such as highways, bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, dams, and utilities. Construction Engineers are unique such that they are a cross between civil...
and military engineering administrative branch of the Pakistani Army that was established in 1966. It is a part of Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers and it has credited to build numerous bridges, roads, tunnels, airfields and dams in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. FWO currently led by Major-General Najeeb-Ullah Khan. A popularly known unit, the FWO has credited to design and constructed the Karakoram Highway
Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway is the highest paved international road in the world, but at its peak at the China-Pakistan border it is only paved on the Chinese side. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of as confirmed by both...
as well as building numerous civil and military infrastructure for the Government of Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
and the Pakistani Armed Forces.
Karakoram Highway Project
In the late 1960s, the Government of PakistanGovernment of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
and Government of China
Government of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
under the existing geopolitical compulsions to establish a road link with China. The task was assigned to Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
in the view of the sensitive nature of the project but more so because of the difficulty of working in inaccessible remote areas. The army using its Corps of Engineers had already worked in 1959 in connecting Gilgit
Gilgit
Gilgit is a city in northern PakistanGilgit may refer to other terms related with the area of the city:* Gilgit River* Gilgit Valley* Gilgit District* Gilgit Agency * Gilgit Airport...
with Pakistan through the Indus Valley Road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
and hence had the necessary infrastructure already present in the area.
In the summer of 1966, a special military organisation was created by the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of 805-kilometre long Karakoram Highway Road (commonly called KKH).
The funding was provided by the Ministry of Communications
Ministry of Communications of Pakistan
Ministry of Communications functions as a central policy making and administrative authority on Communications and Transport Sector in Pakistan. Ministry of Communications consists of one division Communications Division-Introduction:...
which exercised their control over the gigantic project on behalf of Government of Pakistan. Thus was born the Organisation known as FWO which later on in collaboration with the Chinese military engineers undertook this gigantic task.
Projects with Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The FWO began working with Pakistan Atomic Energy CommissionPakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
(PAEC) in the December of 1985. The FWO completed the engineering design in 1986 and constructed the Uranium mining facility at Baghalchur
Baghalchur
Baghalchur or Baghalchar is small town in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan. Baghalchur is the site of abandoned Uranium mines now being used as a nuclear dump. The resident of the area are bitterly opposed to the nuclear dump being used by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission ....
in February 1987. The construction of Khushab Nuclear Complex began in somewhere in 1986, the FWO joined PAEC in 1987. The FWO started to established a Army Bridge Camp/Base Depot near at the Khushab, and has completed the project under one month.
Thereafter in 1986, the FWO constructed the nuclear dump waste management plant at the Baghalchur Facility under the code name, Baghalchur Project. The Baghalchur Project was completed in January 1989. The same year and month, the FWO was assigned to build an Excavation building at the Khushab Reactor
Khushab Reactor
Khushab Nuclear Complex is a plutonium production nuclear reactor and heavy water complex situated 30 km south of the town of Jauharabad in Khushab District, Punjab, Pakistan....
, the work was completed in May 1989. In November, 1988, The FWO also build and construct the Additional Link Road under the codename "Phase- lV Base Depot Khushab". The project was completed in May 1991. In October 1990, the FWO was assigned a task to constructed a Plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
mining facility near at Punjab. The FWO completed the survey and feasibility studies which took three months. FWO completed the construction of the mining facility in Thola Dagar, Punjab, under the codename Mining Operation in Tholadogar in October 1991.
The last reported work with PAEC was in 25 May 1998 when FWO along side with another specialised military unit Special Development Works (SDW), and the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers (PACE), supervised the underground tunnels which was constructed by the SDW and FWO in the late 1980s. The military scientist
Military science
Military science is the process of translating national defence policy to produce military capability by employing military scientists, including theorists, researchers, experimental scientists, applied scientists, designers, engineers, test technicians, and military personnel responsible for...
s and engineers
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
of the Corps of Engineers, FWO, and SDW were also present during the nuclear test at Kharan Desert
Kharan Desert
The Kharan Desert is a sand desert situated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.Kharan desert is Pakistan's second nuclear test site, and the second nuclear test — Codename Chagai-II — was conducted and supervised by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in May 30, 1998.The desert is...
, codename Chagai-II.
Work with Military Engineering Service and ERL
In February 1982, the FWO performed its work with Pakistan ArmyPakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
's engineering corps, Military Engineering Services (MES). The project-director was noted military engineer
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
then-Brigadier-General Zahid Ali Akbar
Zahid Ali Akbar
Lieutenant-General Zahid Ali Akbar Khan , TKdt, was an engineering officer of Pakistan Army who oversaw the construction of the Generals Combatant Army Headquarter and is well-known as the director of the Kahuta Project as part of the Pakistan's acquisition of integrated atomic bomb project...
. The FWO designed and constructed the road and a bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
to connect Kahuta
Kahuta
Kahuta is a town and tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Pakistan's Punjab Province. According to Pakistan's 2008 census, Kahuta tehsil has a population of approximately 160,000....
to Khan Research Laboratories
Khan Research Laboratories
The Khan Research Laboratories ,, formerly known as Engineering Research Laboratories , is a multi-program Pakistan's weapons science and engineering research and development institute and nuclear research facility...
(KRL) (then-known as Engineering Research Laboratories (ERL) under the codename "Road KAK Bridge to KRL". The work was done in September 1983.
Military projects
The FWO has performed its record-breaking performance for the establishment of military infrastructure for Pakistani Armed Forces. The FWO, along with Army Corps of Engineers, has designed and built numerous army airfields, military airport, military bases, and other necessary infrastructure for the Pakistan Armed Forces.Pakistan Air Force
From January 1981 to April 2000, FWO has supervised and completed twenty-nine military projects which also includes Peshawar RunwayPeshawar Flying Club
The Peshawar Flying club is situated in Peshawar, the capital city of the North West Frontier Province in Pakistan. Peshawar has also served as the Northern Air Command of the Pakistani Air Force ....
, Recarpeting of PAF Base Mianwali, PAF Base Rafiqui, PAF Base Minhas, Murid Airbase
Murid Airbase
Murid Airbase is a Pakistan Air Force Base located at Murid, Punjab, Pakistan.-External links:****...
, Risalpur Airbase, and the emergency repair of the Gilgit Airport
Gilgit Airport
Gilgit Airport is a small domestic airport situated 1.25 nm east of Gilgit, a city in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The city of Gilgit is one of the two major hubs for all mountaineering expeditions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan...
. It has also constructed the Gujranwala Air Field and Skardu Airport
Skardu Airport
Skardu Airport is a small domestic airport, located at Skardu, Northern Areas, Pakistan. Skardu is one of the two major hubs of all trekking expeditions in the Northern Areas, a region that includes four of the fourteen Eight-thousander peaks of the world...
.
Pakistan Army
Despite Army Corps of Engineers to supervise the military projects of Pakistan Army. The FWO has gained significant experience while working closely with Military Engineering Service and Army Corps of Engineers. From April 1986 till May 2000, the FWO had participated with Corps of Engineers and Military Engineering Services in thirty-seven different projects.Pakistan Navy
FWO has supervised and constructed the military infrastructure for the Pakistan NavyPakistan Navy
The Pakistan Navy is the naval warfare/service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Pakistan's Navy is responsible for Pakistan's coastline along the Arabian Sea and the defense of important civilian harbors and military bases...
, particularly the Gwadar port
Gwadar port
Gwadar Port is a developing warm-water, deep-sea port situated at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan at the apex of the Arabian Sea and at the entrance of the Persian Gulf, about 460 km west of Karachi and approximately east of Pakistan's border with Iran...
. In 1980, the contract was awarded to FWO to design, build, and constructed the Gwadar International Airport
Gwadar International Airport
Gwadar International Airport is a domestic and international airport situated 9 miles north of the city centre of Gwadar, in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.-History:...
. The work was done in 1984 and it was inaugurated the same year. In 1984, FWO installed the Generator Room at Gwadar
Gwadar
Gwadar also known as Godar is a developing port city on the southwestern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan. It is the district headquarters of Gwadar District in Balochistan province and has a population of approximately 50,000.Gwadar is strategically located at the apex of the Arabian Sea and at the...
as well as it completed the constructed of the Taxiway
Taxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
at the P.N.S. Mehran
P.N.S. Mehran
Pakistan Naval Station Mehran is a Pakistani naval station and headquarters of the Naval Air Arm. The base is situated in Karachi, Pakistan....
, the naval base of the Naval Air Arm
Pakistan Naval Air Arm
The Pakistan Naval Air Arm is the naval aviation branch of the Pakistan Navy.The Naval Air Arm is tasked to carry out air surveillance, limited aerial warfare, and reconnaissance operations...
in 1991. The same year, the FWO design and constructed the Kalmat Naval Base
Kalmat Naval Base
The Kalmat Naval Base is a Pakistan Navy base that will be located at Khor Kalmat, Balochistan, Pakistan. Nearly 30,000 acres of land has been bought for the construction of the base.-Geography:...
's naval command office near at the Khor Kalmat
Khor Kalmat
Khor Kalmat is a lagoon located along the Makran coast of Balochistan, Pakistan. The Basol River drains into the Khor Kalmat lagoon. In recent times, it has gained attention for being the locality where the Pakistan Navy plans to build a base, known as the Kalmat Naval Base.Kalmat lies about...
.
Civilian projects
The Frontier Works Organisation has been heavily awarded contracts by the Pakistan's provisional as well as the Pakistan's federal Government. During 1970s, the FWO had collaborated and constructed twenty-seven projects for the National Highway Authority. Having a rich experience to the field of constructions of the road, the FWO was awarded a contract by the Government of BalochistanGovernment of Balochistan
Government of Balochistan is based in the largest province of Pakistan in Quetta. The head of the province is the Governor, who is nominated by the President of Pakistan...
in 1985 to constructed the road, under the codename Road Liari Ormara Phase-I. The Balochistan Government continued to work with FWO and, from the period 1985 to 1992, the road project was completed into nine different levels.
Attributions
One of the leading Organization which has performed well in the past doing good in the present and aiming excellence in Future. As FWO is world famous for its construction of Bridges, Roads, Highways and Other all kinds of Huge construction, one of the example must always be wisper which is the construction of Karakorum Highway also known as Shahra-e-Karakorum between Pakistan and China which was the first assignment of this organisation. FWO is also divided in many groups that are led by a brigadierBrigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
/Brigadier-General who is the commanding officer of that FWO group.
Objectives and focus
The FWO is issued its code of ethics and objectives:- Survey, soil investigation for roads, airfields, dams, bridges, tunnels and mining etc.
- Technical planning including preparation/vetting of designs.
- Preparation/conclusion of contracts.
- Planning / procurement of stores, equipment and plant.
- Coordination / supervision of works.
- Quality control and monitoring of projects.
- Financial management of projects including budgeting and costing.
- Repair of equipment / plant.
- Logistic support to all units in the form of bulk supplies of rations, Petrol, Oil and Lubrications, construction materials, stores.
- Medical support to all units including evacuation of casualties by helicopter and provision of facilities for major surgery and treatment of serious medical / dental cases.