Pakistan: 389 people died in terror, suicide attacks this year

Cash-strapped country, Pakistan, in the first half of the current year, has witnessed an alarming rise in terror and suicide attacks claiming the lives of 389 people in the nation, Dawn reported citing Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) report.

In the report, the data revealed that a total of 271 attacks had taken place in Pakistan during the period under review, which took 389 lives and injured 656 others.

Last year, in the same period, Pakistan witnessed 151 attacks, causing 293 deaths and 487 injuries. The figures depict a staggering 79 per cent increase in attacks during the first half of 2023 compared to the corresponding period last year.

The second half of 2022 recorded 228 attacks, resulting in 246 fatalities and 349 injuries. Thus, the first six months of 2023 witnessed an 18 per cent rise in attacks compared to the second half of 2022, accompanied by a 58 per cent increase in fatalities and 88 per cent in injuries.

Meanwhile, the data also revealed that the security forces in Pakistan have killed at least 236 people, whom the official termed as "militants."

Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emerged as the most affected province during the first half of this year with 174 reported militant attacks, claiming 266 lives and injuring 463 others, reported Dawn.

The PICSS data shows a 51 per cent rise in terror attacks in tribal districts of KP during the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, though there was a 10 per cent and 15 per cent decline in fatalities compared to the first and second half of last year, respectively.

Balochistan reported 75 terror incidents in the first half of 2023, resulting in 100 deaths and 163 injuries. The data reveals a 103 per cent increase in terror attacks compared to the same period in the previous year and a 14 per cent rise compared to the last six months of 2022.

Fatalities in Balochistan rose by 61 per cent and 64 per cent in the first six months of the current year compared to the first and second half of 2022, respectively.

The report further revealed that Sindh experienced a slight decline in terror incidents, with 13 reported attacks in the first six months of 2023, resulting in 19 deaths and the same number of injuries, as per Dawn.

Fatalities in Sindh rose by 27 per cent compared to the previous year's first half, while a 171 per cent increase was observed compared to the last six months of 2022.

Whereas, Punjab province has witnessed a significant rise in terror-related incidents during the first six months of 2023, with eight reported attacks, resulting in six deaths and 10 injuries.