The organization's roots traces back to the 19th century with the foundation of the
British Indian Army, a Public Works Department was established in the mid-1850s to oversee engineering and construction works while under the control of the Military Board and manned by personnel from the
Engineering Corps. It had three branches, Military Works Branch and Civil Works Branch. In 1899, the organization was renamed as Military Works Services and placed under direct command of the Director General Military Works (DGMW). It was finally termed to its current name in 1923. By this time, the organization of the Engineer-in-Chief for
British India was based on the workload of the MES. It was divided into four regional commands:- • Northern Command (Headquarters at Rawalpindi) • Central Command (Headquarters at Agra) • Southern Command (Headquarters at Poona) • Eastern Command (Headquarters at Calcutta) After
Independence of Pakistan in 1947, the armed forces reconstitution committee divided the former British Indian Armed Forces which resulted with
Pakistan receiving most of Northern Command as part of its share. Between 1958 and 1960, the Military Engineering Services saw notable restructuring with its sub-branches being established after approval by the Ministry of Defense. == Known projects ==