KARACHI: Pakistan witnessed a 143 percent increase in civilian casualties in the month of January, compared to the previous month, an Islamabad-based think tank said on Monday, with the country’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces experiencing the highest number of incidents.
The surge in attacks comes amid a resurgence of militant activity in Pakistan’s northwestern and southwestern regions bordering Afghanistan, where security forces have been confronting multiple groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). Islamabad has often accused Kabul of allowing militants to operate from Afghan soil and New Delhi of backing these groups, allegations they both deny.
Pakistan saw a 28 percent increase in militant attacks, with 87 incidents across the country in January, the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said in its report. Of these, 38 attacks took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 27 in Balochistan and two in the Punjab province.
“A total of 361 people were killed during the month, including 242 militants, 73 civilians, and 46 security force personnel,” PICSS said in its report.
“Compared to the previous month, civilian deaths increased by 143 percent, militant deaths by 35 percent, and security force fatalities by seven percent,” it continued.
“Balochistan emerged as the primary theater of both militant activity and security force operations.”
The report follows coordinated bomb and gun attacks across multiple cities in Balochistan, according to officials. The attacks killed at least 177 militants, 31 civilians and 17 security personnel.
The PICSS report said that 71 civilians, 52 security personnel, and 12 militants were also injured in attacks, while around 60 suspected militants were arrested in Jan. The country witnessed three suicide attacks last month, it added.
“No militant attacks were reported during January from Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad, or Gilgit-Baltistan,” the report added.
