Frontier Works Organisation

The Frontier Works Organisation (Urdu: فرينٹير وركس اورگيناأزيشن; abbreviated as FWO), is an active-duty military administrative (non-combatant) staff corps, and one of the major science 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.

Karakoram Highway Project
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 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.

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 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 alongside 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 scientists and engineers of the Corps of Engineers, FWO, and SDW were also present during the nuclear test at Kharan Desert, codename Chagai-II.

Work with Military Engineering Service and ERL
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.

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 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 Air Field and Skardu Airport.

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 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.

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 Balochistan 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 brigadier/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.