The most important mandate of the Civil Defence Department is to prepare and train the community in meeting any disaster with a view to mitigate the effects of the disaster. The Department was established in 1948 under the name Air Raid Precaution (ARP) in the aftermath of World War II. In 1951, the organization was renamed as Civil Defence Department under the Civil Defence Ordinance, 1951 (later amended as Civil Defence Act, 1952 and Civil Defence Special Power Rules, 1951). In 2001, the Department was devolved after devolution of power plan was promulgated.
