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Pakistan – Seethes under Violence
Note: For regular weekly updates on cross-country violence in Pakistan, you may want to follow CRSS Pakistan Conflict Tracker. Temperatures this month in Pakistan have soared above 50 degrees celcius, resulting in unprecedented riots over up to 18 hours of power outages across the country. Political weather has equally been hot, with the Supreme Court finally forcing Yusuf Reza Gilani out of the prime minister office on June 20th. Since the start of June, militants of all shades have struck at will in the strife-torn Karachi in the north, the poorly governed southwestern Balochistan and the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province bordering embattled Afghanistan. At least 98 terror strikes have left close to 300 people dead and over 230 others injured (until June 19). Among those killed as many as 135 were civilians including women and children, 19 security forces– men and 130 militants. Almost two-thirds of the total death toll was recorded in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and KP. The dead also included those killed in militants– vs. military clashes, CIA-operated drone attacks and bomb blasts against civilian targets, carried out by the militants. Meanwhile, Karachi continues to be seethe under ethno-political as well as sectarian violence. Almost three dozen people were killed in the largest metropolis of Pakistan, Karachi between Friday-Sunday, (June 15-19), averaging a dozen a day. On Friday June 15, at least a dozen people were gunned down in different parts of the city just a day after the six people, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activist were butchered in different circumstances. With the fresh wave of killings, the number of people murdered in week surpassed 50. The north-western parts of the country, which witnessed a relative respite in violence during May, again suffered a fresh wave of violent attacks. On June 8, for instance, a bomb ripped through a bus in the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of the beleaguered KP...
Launching Ceremony of FM Radio Program, Da Aman Awaz (The Voice for Peace)
Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Islamabad with the sponsorship of United States Institute of Peace (USIP),Washington launched FM Radio Program, Da Aman Awaz (The Voice for Peace) at Peshawar Press Club on June 19, 2012. Thesaid radio program will be broadcast in selected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) via FM Radio to promote counter-narrative to radicalization. The launching ceremony also coincided with the annual anniversary of the CRSS earlier FM Radioprogram 'Sabawoon'. People from diverse backgrounds: media men, civil society members and students were part of thelaunching ceremony. KP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussian was among the speakers at the event. Delineating upon the unfolding security situation in Pakistan and especially in KP, Provincial Minister for Information MianIftikhar Hussain noted that the law and order situation of the country in the near future will be of immense importance, asterrorists have developed internal differences. And they will get more and more ruthless to assert their respective factions. 'Wehave two options either to launch a sweeping operation against the militants or face worse situation than the past', he said thiswhile addressing the inauguration ceremony. He added that programs like Sabawoon and Da Aman Awaz, can pave the way formuch needed social reforms and public awareness, which will, in a way prove counter-narrative to Taliban propaganda. Suchinitiatives are first line of defence in war against extremism and militancy, he illustrated. 'The voice for tolerance and peace should be covered in ¿Da Aman Awaz– program, so that the real picture of Pakhtun culturemay be presented. Radio program should contain authentic and unbiased information', the Minister asked. He assured that theincumbent government will provide all possible help if CRSS needed at any stage and at any level for smooth running of theprogram. Mian Iftikhar further said that the CRSS is contributing constructively towards...
Pakistan Conflict Tracker Weekly Report (June 8 – 14, 2012)
The violence subsided relatively across Pakistan during the current week. Wave of bomb blasts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), intermittent target killings in Karachi and frequent skirmishes between militants and military in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) rocked Pakistan. Fatalities involving warring ethno-political factions in Karachi have peaked to whopping 152 during last six weeks. The data collected (from ten newspapers that CRSS uses as the source) suggests that 123 persons were killed as a result of 39 incidents of violence across the country during the reported week (for details see data sheet).These violent incidents also left 165 people injured. At a time when total death toll saw a relative respite, the number of injured surged sharply from last week 74 to 165 (more than double) this week. Unlike the previous week, where militants topped the causality ladder, civilians bore the major brunt ofthe ongoing conflicts in the country. In total, 81 civilians perished and 144 others wounded in different violent incidents. The second highest number of deaths was of militants, wherein 31 militants died and 13 got injured under different circumstances across the country. In contrast to the past two weeks that witnessed eight remote-controlled drone strikes killing 58 militants; only one CIA operated drone strike was reported during the week killing four people in North Waziristan Agency (FATA). The sabotage campaign launched by the militants to dismantle state infrastructure continued unabated as three power pylons, one of 220kv and another two of 132kv, two tube-wells and three shops were blown up by the miscreants in different areas of KP and Balochistan provinces. Suspected militants also blew up two schools in Mardan and Kohat districts of KP. Contrary to the past eleven weeks where scores of people got killed due to sectarian attacks, no such attack was reported during the week in any part of the country. Furthermore, causalities due to the target...
Weekly Data Sheet (Jun 8 – 14, 2012)
Egyptian Turmoil Stoking Fears in Gulf
The stunning, though not unexpected, ruling by the Supreme Constitutional Court in Egypt on Thursday (June 14, 2012) ordered the dissolution of the elected parliament ´ dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood-led Islamist parties. It was a story foretold in view of the gradually escalating brawl between the Islamists and the remnants of old pro-Western ruling elite. The latter seeks to block the Islamists– ostensible grab of power in post Mubarak era. The court also allowed the toppled government last Prime Minister, Ahmed Shafik, a former air force general, to compete for the presidential runoff, set for last week of June. Many analysts and activists interpreted the Constitutional Court ruling as a blatant attempt by the military-led ruling elite to deny the Islamists right of forming government and to re-establish autocracy. Once the Islamists established their majority in the parliament, many had also almost foreseen what might eventually happen i.e. an attempt to deny them the right to rule. As of now, at least, this has happened, delivering serious blows to those who had hailed the Arab Spring as a real and genuine change. The continued turmoil in Egypt and Libya also prompts many to ask as to whether the Arab Spring really meant transition to peoples– rule. A recent conference in Bahrain (June 12-13th), held to the context of the changes brought about by the Arab Spring also resonated with issues that today confront some of the countries in the Arab Gulf. Titled 'Regional Realities of Gulf Security and Transnational Concerns,' and organized by the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT), the conference delegates drawn from all over the world to discuss the threadbare consequences of the movement that has swept Tunisia, Libya, Yemen and now still causing ripples in Egypt as well as rocking Syria. Besides the singular external threat i.e. Iran perceived or real expansionist and influence-seeking policies, one of the themes that...
Pakistan Conflict Tracker Weekly Report (June 1 – 7, 2012)
The violence across Pakistan further escalated during the current week. Clashes between militants and military, and US drone attacks in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) resulted into the major loss of lives. Hostilities between warring ethno-political factions in Karachi also continued to inflict heavy human loss. The figures collected during the length of the week suggest that the total death toll in the city during the last five weeks has reached 132. The data collected (through ten newspapers that CRSS uses as the source) suggests that 150 persons were killed as a result of 59 incidents of violence across the country during the reported week (for details see data sheet).These violent incidents also left 74 people injured. At a time when total death toll saw a relative surge, the number of injured decreased sharply from last week 128 to 74 this week. Contrary to the common trend witnessed in the past nine consecutive weeks, the militant endured the worst ofthe ongoing spate of violence in the country. In total, 99 militants were killed and four others were injured under different circumstances and most the dead were in FATA region. Though the second highest number of casualties was ofcivilians, wherein 43 civilians were killed and another 57 were injured in different parts of the country, the overall civilian death count, however, dropped by 23 percent (28 percent of the total dead were civilians against last week 51 percent). Furthermore, the CIA operated unmanned drones– missile strikes in tribal region of Pakistan continued unabated during the week, as three drone attacks eliminated 27 suspected militants in different areas of North and South Waziristan Agency (FATA). The sabotage campaign launched by the militants continued to rip apart state infrastructure and undermine stability. A 66,000 KV power transmission line was blown up in Jar area of Khar town, Bajaur Agency (FATA), plunging the entire Bajaur Agency into darkness. Three schools were also...
Weekly Data Sheet (Jun 1 – 7, 2012)
Pakistan Conflict Tracker Monthly Report (May 2012)
All kinds of violence continued unabated during the month of May. Ethno-political violence in Karachi and religio-terrorism violence in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) amounted for almost two third of the total deaths during May. The spree of target killing in Karachi has claimed 240 lives since March. Meanwhile, religio-terrorism violence in FATA and KP ate up almost 300 persons during the month under review. The data collected through different sources suggest that some 530 people lost their lives in 271 incidents of violence across the country (for details see data sheet). The overall level of violence escalated in comparison to April, wherein 453 people were perished. The violent clashes also left 590 people injured across the country during the reporting month. A peer into the nature of fatalities suggests that civilians remain the most vulnerable segment of the society, with the civilians accounting for most of the deaths in various acts of violence and terror across Pakistan. As noted in pie chart I below, civilians accounted for almost 54 percent of the total dead in May. The proportion of the civilian deaths is slightly lower than the previous month, when 59 percent of the dead were innocent civilians. As a whole 287 civilians were killed in different circumstances during the month. The second highest number of fatalities is of militants– i.e. 36 percent of the total dead, 10 percent deaths were of the security forces and these were mostly recorded in insurgency infested areas of KP and FATA. Furthermore during May, eight CIA operated drone strikes were reported in North Waziristan Agency (FATA), leaving as many as 46 killed, most of them reportedly suspected militants. On the contrary during last month, only one drone attack was reported. It was very unusual lull in violence perpetrated by the US in tribal region. In total 23 drone attacks have left 132 suspected militants dead so far during the current year....
Pakistan Conflict Tracker Weekly Report (May 25 – 31, 2012)
After a relative respite of two weeks, the wave of violence picked up once again across Pakistan during the current week. Meanwhile, Karachi continued to be the killing field out of sectarian, criminal and ethno-political motives. The total death toll in the city during the last four weeks has reached 108. But unlike the past weeks, where Karachi was the epicenter of violence, during the current week the violence was evenly spread across all the familiar violent terrains i.e. Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Karachi and Balochistan. The data collected (through ten newspapers that CRSS uses as the source) suggests that 119 persons perished in 56 incidents of violence across the country during the reported week (for details see data sheet). These violent incidents also left 128 people injured across the country. Number of injured increased from last week 61 to 128. As a common trend witnessed in the past few weeks, the civilians continued to be the major victims of violence across the country as 51 percent of the total dead were civilians, and numerically 61 civilians were killed and 91 others were wounded. Meanwhile military vs. militants– clashes in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and FATA resulted in 20 deaths. The salient feature of the week was the abrupt revival of CIA operated drone strikes in tribal region of Pakistan. According to reports, five drone attacks killed 31 suspected militants and injured eight in different areas of North Waziristan Agency (FATA). In total 23 drone attacks have left 132 suspected militants dead so far during the current year. The sabotage campaign launched by the militants continued to demolish state infrastructure and undermine stability; as a portion of railway track and a power transmission line were blown up in Pirkaniabad area of Sariab, Quetta (Balochistan) and Bajaur Agency (FATA), respectively. Two schools were also blown up by the suspected militants in Mohmand Agency...
Weekly Data Sheet (May 25 – 31, 2012)
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TESTIMONIALS
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I am also a member of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting. Recently, we held a meeting with the Director General of Radio Pakistan and we told them to initiate such local programs (like Constituency Hour) in regional languages to educate and inform people. Even Indian Radio can be heard in FATA which is being used for propaganda purposes and must be closed. Therefore, we should launch some standard and quality programs like CRSS that will change the taste of the listeners.