Terrorism claimed 924 lives in 10 months, NA told

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks in the first 10 months of 2024, with at least 924 people, including civilians and law enforcement personnel falling martyrs. During this period, 1,566 terrorist incidents were reported, while counter-terrorism operations resulted in the killing of 341 terrorists.

This information was revealed by the Interior Ministry which submitted details of casualties and injuries in terrorist attacks to the National Assembly. Accordinga to the Interior Ministry, the first 10 months of this year saw 1,566 terrorist strikes that claimed the lives of 924 people and left 2,121 injured. Of the total casualties, 573 were members of the law enforcement agencies (LEAs), accounting for 62pc of total martyrdoms, and 1,353 LEAs were injured, accounting for approximately 64pc of total injuries. Besides, 351 civilians were also martyred and 768 civilians were injured. The data shows that LEAs were the primary target of terrorists. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed a sharp rise in terrorism with 948 incidents claiming the lives of 583 people and left 1,375 injured. Of these, 437 were members of the LEAs, constituting 74pc of the total, and 1,059 were injured, constituting approximately 77pc of the total injured. The attacks also martyred 146 civilians and left 316 injured. In KPK, the terrorists mainly targeted the LEAs.

In Balochistan, 582 terrorist attacks led to 307 martyrdoms and 644 injuries. Out of the total, 110 LEA personnel were martyred, accounting for 35pc of the total, while 263 were injured. Alongside 197 civilians also fell as martyrs, representing 64pc of the total, with 381 civilians injured. This trend indicates that civilians bore the brunt of terrorism in Balochistan, reflecting a strategic shift in targeting by militant groups.

In the case of Sindh, 24 terrorist attacks were recorded resulting in 17 fatalities and 38 injuries. Of these, 13 were members of LEAs and 11 were injured. As many as four civilians were also martyred while 27 were injured. The attacks primarily targeted police personnel and foreign nationals.

Only 10 terrorist attacks took place in Punjab, which led to the martyrdom of 16 and left 63 people injured. The LEAs accounted for the majority of casualties, with 13 martyred and 19 injured. Three civilians also lost their lives while four were injured. The data highlights the increasing lethality of terrorists in the province despite a lower frequency of incidents.

Similarly, Islamabad Capital Territory reported two incidents over the last 10 months, resulting in the martyrdom of one civilian while one member of LEAs was injured.

According to an Interior Ministry report, since the start of the war on terror, Pakistan as the frontline state, has undertaken substantive efforts in both kinetic and non-kinetic counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency measures. Following successful military operations from 2015 to 2020, terrorist incidents were cut down sharply. However, after the fall of Kabul in 2021, there has been a significant rise in terrorist strikes. The Fitna Al-Khwaarij (FaK) kept attacking Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Tribal Districts (FATA). Whereas Balochistan suffered at the hands of nationalist insurgents and Sindh witnessed ethno-nationalist violence.

From January to October, the Fitna Al-Khwaarij (FaK) focused attacks on military and LEA officers, as well as security installations and critical infrastructure. However, following territorial losses, the central leadership of the Fitna Al Khwaarij escaped to safe havens in Afghanistan. The victory of Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA) in the war on terror emboldened TTP militants to carry out attacks in Pakistan. Terrorist groups such as the Fitna-al-Khwaarij (FaK), Majeed Brigade, Islamic State Khorasan Province, and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operate from hideouts in Afghanistan.

The Interior Ministry further said that the unstable security environment in Afghanistan helped international terrorist organizations (ITOs) to consolidate their presence and attack neighbouring countries. The Afghan interim government’s inaction and inability allowed the ITOs to pose an increasingly serious and transnational threat to security and stability. This allowed the TTP to not only maintain their presence but also to conduct activities from those bases.

The Fitna-al-Khwaarij (FaK) continues to enjoy freedom of movement and operation in the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Recent terrorist incidents indicate a growing trend of Afghan nationals, previously involved in armed activities within Afghanistan, joining other terrorist groups including Fitna-al-Khwaarij (Fak) to attack Pakistan. The FaK have taken possession of advanced weaponry left behind by the US withdrawing forces and threaten regional security. They also threaten projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

As many as 2,801 Intelligence-Based Operations were conducted during the first 10 months. This led to 341 terrorists being killed. The state proscribed four terrorist organizations over the past 10 months. They include the Zainbyuoon Brigade, Majeed Brigade, Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, and Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement. With these, the total number of proscribed organizations now stands at 82. As many as 800 suspected individuals have also been placed under the preventive framework of Schedule IV of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997.

The provincial and regional CTDs have also undertaken robust measures counter terrorism financing actions. For this purpose, 2,350 cases have been registered, leading to the apprehension of 2,466 and the conviction of 526. Additionally, a cumulative amount of Rs581.206 million was recovered.