Violence-linked fatalities in Pakistan hit six-year high in 2023: Report

Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries in the year 2023, from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations, including nearly 1,000 fatalities among civilians and security forces personnel, Dawn reported.

The number of overall fatalities, including those of outlaws, marks a record six-year high, exceeding the 2018 level and the highest since 2017. Moreover, the country saw a surge in violence for the third consecutive year, with an uptick recorded each year beginning in 2021.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces were the primary centres of violence, accounting for over 90 per cent of all fatalities and 84 per cent of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations, recorded during this period. Punjab and Sindh were relatively peaceful, as together, both provinces suffered only 8 per cent of all fatalities in 2023.

These were the key findings of the annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Dawn reported.

The report stated that the year 2023 recorded an alarming surge in violence by about 56 per cent -- an unprecedented escalation in the last 10 years, with the overall number of fatalities increasing from 980 in 2022 to 1,524 in 2023. This includes a staggering 57 per cent uptick recorded in Balochistan and 55 per cent in KP.

Punjab saw a 96 per cent rise in violence, though the number of fatalities was very low, followed by Sindh where the fatalities increased by 26 per cent.

"Nearly 65 per cent of all violence-related fatalities recorded in 2023 resulted from terrorism, while the remaining 35 per cent from the security forces operations against the outlaws. The country suffered as many as 586 terror attacks this year [2023], with only 17 per cent of them claimed by the banned terror outfits such as TTP, BLA, Daish (Islamic State Khorasan) and others. The security forces conducted as many as 197 operations against outlaws leaving 545 of them dead," Dawn quoted the report.

An alarming upsurge in sectarian violence was recorded. In 2023, acts of terrorism directed at religious communities and their places of worship resulted in the tragic loss of 203 lives, 88 of whom were security officials.

Dawn cited another report, released by an Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), which stated that Pakistan witnessed another year of an unprecedented surge in terrorist attacks as the country saw a staggering 69 per cent rise in attacks, an 81 per cent increase in resultant deaths, and a 60 per cent surge in the number of wounded.

"The year 2023 witnessed at least 641 terrorist attacks across the country in which 974 people were killed and 1,351 injured. The year 2022 had witnessed 380 terrorist attacks resulting in 539 deaths and 836 injuries...By combining terrorist attacks and security forces actions the country saw over one thousand violent incidents in which 1,511 people were killed and 1,440 injured," the report added.

As for terrorist attacks, the PICSS database shows that the average number of terrorist attacks per month rose from 32 in 2022 to 53 attacks per month in 2023, which is the highest monthly average in any year after 2015.

KP saw the highest number of terrorist attacks and resultant casualties during 2023. PICSS recorded 419 terrorist attacks in KP in which 620 people were killed, including 306 security forces personnel, 222 civilians, and 92 terrorists, while 977 were injured, including 525 security forces personnel, 402 civilians, and 50 terrorists.

Within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more violence was recorded from mainland KP than the newly merged districts (erstwhile Fata) as the mainland KP witnessed 235 terrorist attacks in which 336 people were killed including 213 security forces personnel, 67 civilians, and 56 terrorists while 589 were injured including 383 security forces personnel, 163 civilians and 43 terrorists. There was an 84 per cent increase in terrorist attacks in mainland KP.

The newly merged districts of KP (erstwhile FATA) faced 184 terrorist attacks, in which 284 people were killed, including 155 civilians, 93 security forces personnel, and 36 terrorists, while 388 were injured, including 239 civilians, 142 security forces personnel, and seven terrorists. The region witnessed a 59 per cent rise in terrorist attacks in 2023 compared with 2022.

According to Dawn, Balochistan faced at least 170 terrorist attacks, in which 285 people were killed, including 151 civilians, 114 security forces personnel, and 20 terrorists, while 388 people were injured, including 195 civilians, 99 security forces personnel, and four terrorists. The rise in terrorist attacks in Balochistan was 65 per cent in 2023, compared with 2022.

Sindh also saw a 40 per cent rise in terrorist attacks in 2023 as 35 such incidents were reported from the province in which 39 people died, including 22 civilians, 11 security forces personnel, and six terrorists, while 35 people were injured, including 24 security forces personnel, ten civilians and one terrorist .

An unprecedented rise in terrorist activities was witnessed in Punjab, where 14 terrorist attacks were reported in 2023 compared to three in 2022.

In Punjab, 20 people were killed in terrorist attacks, including 14 terrorists, four security forces personnel, and two civilians, while 14 people were injured, including eight civilians, five security forces personnel, and one terrorist, Dawn reported.