The overall level of violence reduced significantly across Pakistan during the current week. Armed clashes between militants and the security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the deadly wave of target killings across Pakistan continued to mount their toll on Pakistan during the week. The data collected throughten newspapers that CRSS uses as the source shows that as many as 134 persons perished, as a result of 58 incidents of violence across the country during the reported week (for detailssee data sheet). These violent incidents also left 85 people injured across the country. Meanwhile, the number of wounded persons declined sharply from 115 during last week to 85 during the current week.

Unlike the previous few weeks, where militants were the prime target of violence, civilians paid the maximum human cost of the ongoing spate of violence, wherein 50 percent of the total casualties were of the civilians. Numerically, 67 civilians were dead and 53 others wounded as a result of violent clashes across Pakistan. The second highest number of deaths was ofmilitants, wherein 58 militants got killed and 16 others wounded under different circumstances. Furthermore, only one CIA operated drone strikewas recorded during the course of the week, killing five suspected militants in Degan village of North Waziristan Agency (FATA). No significant sabotage attack was reported in any part of the country however militants blew up a government primary school in Gongat Johar village of Safi tehsil, Mohmand Agency (FATA).

Moreover, the persistent wave of sectarian killings further swelled during the current week, as five sectarian attacks left 13 Shias, one Sunni dead and another injured in Quetta (Balochistan) and Karachi (Sindh). Moreover, deaths as a result of the unabated spree of target killings surged by 16 percent, (38 percent against last week 22 percent) during the current week. Overall, 66 percent of the total violent attacks wereoftarget killingin nature.The trend also underscores that the target killing persistently remains the weapon of choice for violent attackers to inflict toil and misery upon the adversaries (seethe pie chart below).

Furthermore, data shows that of the total 38 incidents of target killings, a staggering 50 percent took place in Karachi alone, leaving 23 people dead and injuring two others. Deaths of militants in the ongoing military operations in KP and FATA region dropped by six percent, as militant casualties due to military operation accounted for 35 percent of the total loss of lives against last week 41 percent. Meanwhile, three security personnel got injured as a result of clashes with the militants during the week.

Moreover, six dead bodies were also recovered from different areas of Karachi (Sindh) and Orakzai Agency (FATA). Five out of the six dead bodies were found in Karachi alone. In sum, the number of violent incidents decreased from last week 69 to 58 during this week, and thus the resultant casualties also dropped sharply from 247 to 134.

A trail through data and trends of violence suggests that although the number of deaths dropped considerably during the current week, yet the factors causing violence remain relentlessly there. For the political leadership, the current wave and level of violence has become normal state of affairs in the country and that is why they look contended with it, at least as for now. Surprisingly enough, Karachi, which is bleeding (28 decimated during current week) since late March 2012, due to myriad forms of violence, has also failed to gain the attention of any mainstream political party so far; consequently leaving the people of the largest metropolitan city and economic hub, to the mercy of roaring killers and criminals.

Sources

1. The News
2. Dawn
3. The Express Tribune
4. Pakistan Today
5. Daily Times
6. The Frontier Post
7. Jang (Urdu)
8. Daily Mashriq (Urdu)
9. Aaj (Urdu)
10. The Nation