A report issued by an independent think-tank has found that at least 271 militant attacks took place across Pakistan over the first six months of 2023, resulting in 389 deaths and 656 injuries, as terrorism continues its resurgence in the country following the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) unilaterally ending a ceasefire inked with the government.
Compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), the report stated that terrorism increased by 79 percent during the first half of 2023 when compered with the same period last year. In 2022, it said, the first six months of the year—prior to the TTP’s ending of the ceasefire—had seen 151 militant attacks, causing the deaths of 293 people and injuries to 487 others.
The report further stated that the second half of 2022 saw 228 militant attacks that caused 246 fatalities and 349 injuries. Compared to this figure, it said, the first six months of 2023 had seen an 18% rise in attacks compared to the last six months of 2022.
According to PICSS, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa faced the brunt of the extremism in the past six months, with 174 reported militant attacks claiming 266 fatalities and 463 injuries. Of these 174, it said, 100 took place in the settled districts (188 deaths, 354 injuries) while 74 were recorded from the erstwhile tribal districts (78 deaths, 109 injuries). Overall, said the report, terror attacks in the erstwhile tribal districts had increased by 51 percent in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period a year earlier, while they had increased by 108% in mainland KP. It said fatalities in mainland KP had risen by 53% and 132% in the first half of the current year compared to the first and second half of 2022, respectively.
In Balochistan, said the PICSS report, 75 terror incidents were recorded in the past six months, resulting in 100 deaths and 163 injuries, a 103% increase compared to the same period in 2022, and a 14% rise compared to the last six months of 2022. Fatalities in Balochistan, it said, had risen by 61% and 64% in the first six months of the current year compared to the first and second half of 2022, respectively.
For Sindh, read the report, 13 terror attacks were reported in the first six months of 2023, causing 19 deaths and 19 injuries. By comparison, the first six months of this year witnessed a 19% decline and a 44% rise, respectively, compared to the first and second halves of the previous year. It said fatalities in Sindh had risen by 27% compared to the first half of the previous year, and 171% compared to the last six months of 2022.
In Punjab, said PICSS, eight terror attacks were recorded in the first six months of 2023, causing six deaths and 10 injuries. By comparison, one militant attack was reported during the first six months of 2022, and two in the second half of the year.
Overall, said the report, there had been a surge in suicide attacks during the first half of 2023, with 13 of them resulting in 142 deaths and 309 injuries. In comparison, only five suicide attacks were reported during the corresponding period of the previous year, causing 77 deaths and 225 injuries. During the second half of 2022, Pakistan recorded 10 suicide attacks, resulting in 24 fatalities and 65 injuries.
In terms of law enforcement response, the report said security forces had stepped up their retaliation, killing at least 236 militants, and detaining 295 suspected militants, during the first six months of 2023.