Pakistan averaged 1 militant attack every 14 hours in 2023, with 976 people killed

More would have been killed and injured if security forces had not foiled hundreds of other attacks and attempts, an Islamabad think tank said
The violence is at least partly seen as a reaction from nationalist rebels to Chinese investment in the southwestern province of Balochistan

Pakistan

dpa

Published: 12:02pm, 2 Jan 2024

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Pakistan has witnessed yet another year of “unprecedented” attacks, with about a 70 per cent rise in attacks, an 81 per cent increase in attack-related deaths and a 62 per cent increase in the wounded, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said.

The figures, released on Monday, showed at least 645 militant attacks across the country in 2023, with 976 people killed and 1,354 injured. That averages out to about one attack every 14 hours.

The figures for 2022 were 380 attacks, with 539 killed and 836 wounded.

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The roughly 70 per cent increase in deadly attacks by militants last year made it the deadliest in more than half a decade as the violence continued to surge since the Taliban takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan.

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank, said more would have been killed or injured if the country’s security forces had not foiled hundreds of attacks and attempts during the year.

Most attacks were claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, a group with the same ideology but a different organisational structure than their Afghan counterpart.

Pakistan says the group launches attacks from its alleged hideouts in the border region of Afghanistan. Kabul denies the charge.

Violence by the Islamist militants has been on the rise in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021.

Pakistan, a nuclear-armed Islamic republic with more than 240 million people, is an ally and partner of China’s efforts to reach global markets via overland and sea routes through the Belt and Road Initiative.

Part of the recent volatility is seen as reaction to Chinese investment in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where nationalist rebels are challenging the state.

The deadly attacks are expected to surge further as the nation heads to elections next month, said Fida Khan, a security analyst based in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

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