Since its inception, Pakistan has played a significant role as a responsible member of the international community to help realize the ideals of global peace and security through active support in various regions of the world. Our peacekeepers have always distinguished themselves while undertaking the challenging tasks of peacekeeping in conflict-torn areas.

Historical Perspective. Pakistan has a longstanding commitment to United Nations Peacekeeping dating back to 1960, when our first peacekeeping mission was deployed in Congo. Thereafter, it has been a long saga and we have been nearly anywhere and everywhere UN Peacekeeping went. From 1960 to the end of 1970s, Pakistani peacekeepers remained employed in 3 out of 11 UN missions which include West Irian, Yemen and Congo. In the 1980s, UN’s role in peacekeeping shrunk due to the impact of Cold War, and resultantly, peacekeeping missions were reduced to 6. In these times, Pakistani peacekeepers remained deployed in Namibia to serve humanity. Post-Cold War era saw a surge in the spread of international and global conflicts. During those turbulent times, UN played an active role and deployed its peacekeepers in 36 missions worldwide with Pakistani troops serving mankind in 21 missions across the global conflicts. Somalia was one of the most volatile conflicts in which 23 Pakistani peacekeepers lost their lives on a single day in a rescue operation. In the 2000s, Pakistan participated in 12 out of 18 missions with the highest ever strength of 10,500 peacekeepers.
So far, over 225,000 Pakistani troops have remained a part of 48 missions in 28 countries around the globe. These include Infantry Battalions, Artillery and Armour Regiments, Engineers, Signals, Logistic Companies, Aviation Units and above all our doctors in hospitals who have served the humanity with courage and pride.
Current Deployment. As of today, Pakistan is contributing approximately 4326 troops deployed in ten missions across the world. Overall, we are the fifth largest troops contributing country to UN peacekeeping mission of global peacekeepers.
Role and Tasks of Units Deployed in UN Missions
Infantry
▪ Prevention of expansion of armed groups.
▪ Maintenance of security and protection of civilians.
▪ Dominate areas of tactical importance.
▪ Rapid deployment to prevent the advance of negative forces.
▪ Dominate the area of responsibility through presence.
▪ Targeted operations focusing on critical capabilities to render them ineffective (leadership, command and control, sustainment, and armament etc.).
▪ Deter armed groups from inflicting violence against the civilians.
▪ Establish and maintain UN’s freedom of movement.
Aviation
▪ Air assault (including quick reaction).
▪ Close air support.
▪ Troops’ insertion and extraction.
▪ Air patrol (observer/monitors tasks) with armed troops on-board.
▪ Area surveillance and reconnaissance.
▪ Day and night medevac (medical evacuations) and casevac (casualty evacuations), with an integrated aeromedical evacuations team (AMET) or any AMET provided by the mission.
▪ Troops/cargo transport.
▪ Firefighting for air operation at the main operating base.
Engineers
▪ Assist in the mobility of own forces to facilitate their tasking.
▪ Site surveys (topographical and boundary).
▪ Clearing and grubbing of the selected sites, roads and airfields, selective demolition at the selected sites, roads and airfield (if required).
▪ Support the construction of unit field defense including a perimeter security fence.
▪ Perform specialized Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) with functions such as detection, identification, evaluation, render safe, recovery and disposal of explosive remnants of unexploded or abandoned explosive ordnance recovered from the mission area.
▪ Conduct Weapons Technical Intelligence (WTI) collection, explosive incident investigation and evaluation of evidence.
▪ Respond to bomb threats.
▪ Support the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) within its capabilities.
Hospital
▪ Provide primary healthcare, catering to all common illnesses and infectious diseases to all personnel operating in the area of responsibility of the hospital.
▪ Perform limb and life-saving surgery such as laparotomy, appendectomy, thoracentesis, wounded exploration and debridement, fracture fixations and amputations.
▪ Perform emergency resuscitation procedures.
▪ Administer vaccination and other disease prophylaxis measures as required in the mission area.
Female Participation. Alongside men, our women peacekeepers are also proudly serving under UN’s flag and contributing to peace in different parts of the world. Overall, over 450 Pakistani women peacekeepers have served in UN missions so far alongside actively participating in the UN-led Integrated Training Services (ITS) Team initiatives. 35 female officers have been trained at various international peacekeeping training institutes, whereas 174 lady officers have been trained at Centre for International Peace and Stability (CIPS), NUST, Islamabad. Currently, Pakistan Army has deployed 83 lady officers in various UN missions as a part of Engagement Teams in contingents and as staff officers.
Sacrifices for Peace. This proud journey; however, has not been easy or without sacrifices. 171 Pakistani peacekeepers including 27 officers have laid down their lives for the noble cause of world peace and have been honored with Dag Hammarskjold Medal, the highest UN accolade. 

Centre for International Peace and Stability (CIPS). Centre for international Peace and Stability (CIPS) is a premier institution pursuing studies/training in Peace and Conflict Regime.  While one of its wings organizes Ph.D, Masters and graduate studies, the Peacekeeping Department is meant to impart realistic, focused and mission-oriented training to the potential peacekeepers including contingent commanders, military observers, staff officers and nucleus staff of Infantry and  formed contingents. It was established in March 2013 with the purpose to effectively integrate and institutionalize peacekeepers’ training regime transforming all potential peacekeepers (military/police), as well as the aspirant civilian scholars, into an effective core of experts and enablers in consonance with Security Council’s Resolutions for employment in the UN missions. In a short span of time, CIPS has achieved an international stature and is aptly recognized by the leading UN departments and the agencies involved in training and sensitizing regime.
▪ Vision Statement. To develop CIPS into Regional Peacekeeping Centre of Excellence, equipped with state-of-the-art information technology (IT) enabled training facilities and wherewithal in rendering quality training to scholars and enablers. CIPS presupposes a training facility way ahead than other regional UN peacekeeping training institutions to produce scholars in the Peace and Conflict Regime besides organizing a wide range of peacekeeping training courses having enhanced foreign participants’ representation therein the indexed UN Integrated Training Service (ITS) portfolio.
▪ Disciplines/Courses other than Peace and Conflict Studies. CIPS at NUST handles a vast array of pre-deployment training courses for UN missions. To date, overall 175 Peacekeeping Training Courses have been conducted wherein 2863 peacekeepers including 407 Allied Officers have been trained and sensitized. The institution has the honor to be among the toppers with four leading courses having the recognition of UN ITS Department. Efforts are at hand for the recognition of two more courses.

▪ Cooperation with Friendly Countries. Consonance to the prospective outreach and expansion, joint ventures for training and enhancing cooperation with other troops contributing countries (TCCs) is also being pursued by CIPS. In this regard, memoranda of understandings (MoUs) have been signed between CIPS and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). Whereas, MoUs with the Institute of Peace Support Operation Training Sri Lanka (IPSOTSL), Korean Peacekeeping Operation Centre (KPOCENT) and UN Women have been formulated and are in the process of approvals. Moreover, contingent upon infrastructural development of the CIPS, the possibilities of cooperation with other countries in peacekeeping training through collaborated arrangements remain a priority consideration.

UN Military Unit Manual (UNMUM). Besides providing quality peacekeepers, Pakistan has also contributed in the policy and academic domain of the UN. Pakistan spearheaded the formulation of various UN Military Unit Manuals (UNMUM), Project for Aviation and Counter IED Manuals, which has been widely appreciated and acknowledged. Pakistan’s subject matter experts have abundantly contributed to the formulation and revision of 18 manuals in the policy and academic domain of the UN.