Pakistan’s violence-related fatalities mark a record 6-year high

Islamabad : In 2023, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1463 injuries from as many as 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations.

According to Annual Security Report released by Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) released here Sunday. this includes nearly 1000 fatalities among civilians and security forces personnel. The overall fatalities including those of outlaws mark a record 6-year high, exceeding the 2018 level and highest since 2017. Moreover, the country saw a surge in violence for the third consecutive year with an uptick recorded each year beginning from 2021.

KP and Balochistan provinces were the primary centers of violence, accounting for over 90% of all fatalities and 84% of attacks (including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations) recorded during this period. Punjab and Sindh were relatively peaceful as together, both these provinces suffered only 8% of all fatalities in 2023.

The year 2023 also recorded an alarming surge in violence by about 56% - an unprecedented escalation in the last ten years, with the overall number of fatalities increasing from 980 in 2022 to 1524 in 2023. This includes a staggering 57% uptick recorded in Balochistan and 55% in KP. Punjab saw a 96% rise in violence though the number of fatalities was very low, followed by Sindh where the fatalities increased by 26%.

Nearly 65% of all violence-related fatalities recorded in 2023 resulted from terrorism, while the remaining 35% from the security forces operations against the outlaws.

The country suffered as many as 586 terror attacks this year, with only 17% of them claimed by the banned terror outfits such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Daish (Islamic State Khorasan) and others. The security forces conducted as many as 197 operations against outlaws leaving 537-545 of them dead.

The number of terrorist and insurgent attacks surpassed security operations against outlaws by almost three times, resulting in a higher number of casualties among both civilians and security personnel compared to the casualties among outlaws. In addition to three major types of violence - security operations, terror attacks, and insurgency - two other manifestations of violence stemming from political turmoil in the country have also contributed to casualties. Although the fatalities among outlaws were the highest when compared to those of security officials and civilians, the combined fatalities of security officials and civilians were nearly double the number of outlaws’ fatalities. Furthermore, the security officials and civilians experienced more than twice the number of terror incidents compared to the total count of security operations conducted against the outlaws.

With over 500 fatalities and 299 terror attacks suffered, 2023 was the deadliest year for security forces in nearly a decade, exceeding the 2015 level and highest since 2014. Moreover, this year, their fatalities surged and an uptick recorded in the terror attacks they suffered for the third consecutive year beginning from 2021.

Contrary to the declining trend that had persisted since 2015, an alarming reversal occurred in 2021, which was coincidently the year when the Afghan Taliban had regained their control in Afghanistan.

Throughout the year, Baloch insurgents and jihadi militants exhibited heightened activity, with a total of 101 terror attacks claimed by them this year. Baloch insurgents claimed responsibility for 32 attacks, showcasing BLA as the most prolific insurgent outfit with 24 executed attacks.