Rising Terrorism: 2021 witnessed 56% rise in terror attacks in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: After a consistent decline in militant attacks during the past six years, Pakistan has suddenly witnessed a 56 per cent surge in militant attacks during the year 2021, despite the month-long ceasefire agreement with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, according to the statistics released by Islamabad-based think tank, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

The PICSS report revealed that the militants have carried out 294 attacks during the year in which 388 people were killed including 184 civilians, and 192 security forces personnel while 606 people were injured, including 389 civilians and 217 security forces personnel. Pakistani security forces also killed 188 militants and arrested at least 220 suspected militants during the year.

It further stated that in the year 2020 there occurred 188 militant attacks in which 266 people were killed and 595 injured. According to the Institute, a comparison of both years shows that there was a 56 per cent increase in the number of attacks, 46 per cent increase in the total number of deaths and 66 per cent increase in the casualties incurred by Pakistan’s security forces.

The report crucially demonstrates that, the number of militant attacks in 2021 was the highest after 2017 in any year while the number of deaths was the highest in any year after 2018.

The rise in militant attacks in Pakistan coincided with the Afghan Taliban’s military offensive which began in May 2021 and reached its highest point in August 2021, when the Taliban took over Kabul. The think tank also noted that the highest number of militant attacks in a single month during 2021 were recorded during August when 45 attacks occourred.

Despite month-long ceasefire between November 10 and December 10, the overall number of militant attacks could not drop in both months, according to PICSS. Meanwhile, the average number of militant attacks per month in Pakistan rose from 16 in 2020 to 25 in 2021, which is the highest after 2017.

The study further stated that according to the PICSS Militancy Database Balochistan was the most turbulent province where the highest number of deaths, 170, were recorded in 103 militant attacks and the highest number of injured, 331, were recorded. It separately found that, the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were the second most affected region of the country, which witnessed 103 militant attacks, a similar number as Balochistan, but the number of deaths was lesser at 117. However, on the whole KP, other than the tribal districts, was the third most affected region as it witnessed 59 militant attacks in which 63 people were killed and 59 were injured. Meanwhile, in Sindh, the PICSS recorded 15 militant attacks in which 23 people were killed and 29 were injured. In Punjab, it found that militants carried out 10 attacks in which 10 people were killed and 87 were injured. Islamabad, the federal capital, witnessed three militant attacks in which three people were killed. Only one person was killed in a single attack in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The security institute’s militancy database showed that militant attacks went up during 2021 in almost all administrative regions of the country, except in Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan. Of these rising attacks, Balochistan saw 110 per cent increase, KP’s tribal districts saw a 27 per cent increase and KP witnessed a 111 per cent rise.

The PICSS found that due to these escalating circumstances, Pakistani security forces stepped up their operations against the militants. PICSS Database shows a 40 per cent increase in security forces actions during the year 2021 compared with 2020. In total, security forces conducted 205 reported operations against the militants in which 188 militants were killed and 220 were arrested. Of these, the highest number of security forces actions were reported from Sindh where 92 suspected militants were arrested and five were killed in 57 operations.

At least 72 militants were killed in the tribal districts of KP and 13 were arrested in 48 operation, meanwhile in larger KP 38 operations were carried out, in which 21 militants were eliminated and 43 arrested.

The highest number of arrests after Sindh were reported from Punjab from where 56 militants were arrested and seven were killed in 32 operations. The highest number of militant deaths in security operations were reported from Balochistan where 83 militants were killed and 13 were arrested in 29 operations.

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