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FWO: Frontier Works Organization – Key Projects

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FWO: Frontier Works Organization

The Frontier Works Organization is an active-duty military administrative (non-combatant) staff corps, and one of the major sciences and technology commands of the Pakistan Army.

Originally commissioned and established in 1966, the FWO is a vital administrative branch of the Pakistan Army that includes both active duty officers and civilian scientists and engineers; and since its establishment, it has been credited with the construction of numerous bridges, roads, tunnels, airfields and dams in Pakistan, on the orders of the civilian Government of Pakistan.

Its primary objectives include projects related to Civil, construction, Combat, structural, and Military engineering and is currently commanded by Major General Javed Bukhari. The FWO is internationally and nationally famous for leading the design and construction of the Karakoram Highway as well as for building civil and military infrastructure for the Government of Pakistan and the Pakistan Armed Forces.

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Karakoram Highway

In the late 1960s, the Government of Pakistan 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 organization 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 Organization known as FWO which later on in collaboration with the Chinese military engineers undertook this gigantic task.

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Projects with Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

The FWO began working with Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (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 establish 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 construct 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 Theologian October 1991.

 The last reported work with PAEC was in 25 May 1998 when FWO alongside another specialized 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 scientists and engineers of the Corps of Engineers, FWO, and SDW were also present during the nuclear test at Karan Desert, codename Chagai-II.

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Military Engineering Service and Engineering Research Laboratories

In February 1982, the FWO performed its work with Pakistan Army’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.

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Military Projects

From January 1981 to April 2000, FWO has supervised and completed twenty-nine military projects which also includes Peshawar Runway, 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 Airfield and Skardu Airport.

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Pakistan Air Force

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.

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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.

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Pakistan Navy

FWO has supervised and constructed the military infrastructure for the Pakistan Navy, 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.

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Civilian Projects

The Frontier Works Organization 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 Baluchistan in 1985 to construct the road, under the codename Road Liari Ormara Phase-I. The Baluchistan Government continued to work with FWO and, from the period 1985 to 1992, the road project was completed into nine different levels.

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Gomal Zam Dam Project (Irrigation Component)

The main objective of the project is to provide sustainable irrigation water supply to 1, 63,100 acres of agricultural land so as to increase agricultural production and uplift the socio economic condition of the inhabitants. Upon completion, this project will satisfy 70% of the agricultural requirements of DIK and surrounding area.



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Dhana Irrigation & Water Supply

» Proj Name: Construction of Dhana Irrigation and water Supply Scheme
» Proj Location within Country: FATA (KPK)
» Name of Client / Sponsor: FATA Sectt
» Consultant: NESPAK
» No of Plants Employed: 105 Nos
» Start Date (Month / Year): Feb 2013
» Country: Pakistan
» Scoop of Work: Earth Work / Stone Pitching / RCC Slab / Beam / Columns / Steel Structure / Pipe Line
» No of Person Employed: 663 Nos
» Name of Associated Firm (s), if any Nil
» Total Project Cost: Rs 1625.144 Mn
» Completion Date (Month / Year): Dec 2014
  • Create an efficient management system for water sources.
  • Provide portable water to the locals in the area.
  • Harness seasonal runoff to provide additional water for irrigation.
  • Conserve and recharge ground water table.
  • It is designed to facilitate the catchment area of 13000 acre.



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Lahore Sailkot Motorway

The Sialkot-Lahore Motorway (M11) is a north-south motorway in Punjab, Pakistan, which connects Sialkot to Lahore via eastern parts of the Punjab. The total length of this motorway is 103km. It was opened on 18 March 2020 at the cost of 44 billion rupees. It has reduced the travel time between Sialkot and Lahore to just 50 minutes instead of the alternative route via N-5 comprising 145km and taking more than 2 hours. This new road connects the Sialkot and Lahore Airport junctions with an express travel mode of 1 hour, and would uplift the Sialkot city and the surrounding rural hinterlands.

This motorway is 4 lane, having 9 interchanges, 8 flyovers, 20 bridges and 18 underpasses.[9x Interchange, 20x Brs, 18x Underpasses, 12x Subways, 23 Cattle Creeps & 207x culverts]. 3 industrial zones and 2 universities would also be established along with the project. It is linked with M2 and N5 through Lahore link road near Kala Shah Kaku. The route is running parallel to GT road, passing east of Kamoki, Gujranwala, Daska and is ending at Sambrial.

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References

  • https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Frontier_Works_Organisation
  • https://www.fwo.com.pk/projects/ongoing-projects

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About the Author

This article is written by Engr. Talha Shahid.  

Who is a Civil Engineer by Profession.

He keeps working on such activities that increase his wealth, keeps him fit, and enhances his creativity.

Contact: talhashahid215@gmail.com


(c) Some Rights Reserved.

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