Islamabad: Terror attacks in Pakistan have surged once again following a brief lull in March, as the country experienced 77 verifiable attacks in April, according to a security assessment report by the Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS). Unsurprisingly, the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bore the brunt of the attacks last month.
The terror attacks in Pakistan resulted in 70 casualties – 35 civilians and 31 members of the security forces. Four militants were killed while 67 individuals – including 32 civilians and 35 security personnel – were injured in these attacks, Dawn reported citing the PICSS report. In comparison, March saw 56 terror attacks that resulted in 77 deaths and 67 injuries.
Thus, April saw a 38 per cent increase in the number of terror attacks, albeit with a 9 per cent decline in fatalities. Moreover, at least 55 suspected militants were killed and 12 others arrested last month, marking a 55 per cent increase in militant deaths compared to March.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa records highest terror attacks
The report further said that 73 per cent of the total number of militant attacks reported in April took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the tribal districts of the province. At least 56 were reported in the province during the previous month. The attacks killed 43 people — 26 members of security forces and 17 civilians, while 32 were injured, with 19 members of security forces and 13 civilians among the wounded.
Additionally, Peshawar faced four attacks while Swat, Swabi, Charsadda, Shangla, and Battagram experienced one attack each. The southern districts of Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, and Tank were the most affected, with D.I. Khan and Lakki Marwat facing seven terror attacks each, Bannu facing six, and Tank experiencing two attacks.
Punjab also witnessed a surge in terror activities, with four attacks reported in April compared to one in March, resulting in three fatalities. One attack was reported in Sindh, resulting in three fatalities. In the first four months of the year, the country experienced 323 terror attacks, resulting in 324 fatalities and 387 injuries, according to the report.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan most affected provinces
Before March, Pakistan saw at least 245 terror attacks, primarily in the violence-prone Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, during the first quarter of 2024 that resulted in 432 deaths and 370 injuries among civilians, security personnel and rebels, according to another think tank report. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan accounted for 86 per cent of the attacks and 92 per cent of the deaths.
In the first quarter of 2024, the Balochistan province of Pakistan recorded a massive 96 per cent surge in violence, with fatalities rising from 91 in the last quarter of 2023 to 178 in 2024. Sindh saw a nearly 47 per cent rise in violence, though the number of fatalities was very low. The regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan recorded decreases in violence by 24 per cent, 85 per cent, and 65 per cent respectively.
According to the security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suffered 51 per cent of casualties and Balochistan witnessed 41 per cent of the deaths in the first quarter of 2024. The remaining regions were relatively peaceful, suffering less than 8 per cent of all fatalities. However, militant organisations claimed responsibility for less than 20 per cent of the total casualties attributed to terrorism.
Meanwhile, a new militant group named Jabhat Ansar al-Mahdi Khorasan (JAMK), affiliated with the Gul Bahadur group, has emerged, while the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains one of the most prominent terrorist groups responsible for a series of attacks in recent years. There were also 64 incidents of sabotage in the country targeting properties of the government, and politicians, along with private and security properties.
(with PTI inputs)
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