The overall incidents of violence subsided considerably during the current week across Pakistan. Relentless clashes between militants and military in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which ate up hundreds of people during last month, were drastically down. Meanwhile, the wave of target killings in Karachi continued unabated during the week, pushing the death toll to 254 in the span of the last nine weeks. The data collected (through ten newspapers that CRSS uses as the source) suggests that 93 persons were killed as a result of 45 incidents of violence across the country during the reported week (for details see data sheet).These violent incidents also left 71 people injured, number of injured decreased considerably from last week 92 to 71 this week.

The civilian fatalities out of clashes among violent actors insistently continue to top the chart, as during the current week again civilians were the major victims of violence. In total, 66 percent civilians were among the total decimated in different circumstances. Numerically speaking, 62 civilians lost their lives and 57 others were wounded during the course of week. Militants suffered the second highest number of fatalities, wherein 18 militants got killed and another three wounded under different circumstances. Furthermore, for a third week in a row, just oneCIA operated drone strike was reported, killing six suspected militants and injuring three others in Dre Nishtar village of Shawal valley, North Waziristan Agency (FATA). Thesabotage campaign, launched by the militants to dismantle state infrastructure continued unabated, as unidentified miscreants blew up a gas pipeline of eight-inch-diameter in Pirkoh area of Dera Bugti district (Balochistan). Militants also blew up three government schools in KP and FATA regions.

Like in case of previous week only one sectarian attack was reported during the current week killing one person belonging to Hazara Shia Muslim community in Quetta. Moreover, casualties due to the ferocious wave of target killings increased by 53 percent (51 percent against during current as against last week 24). Overall 51 percent of the total violent attacks weretarget killing incidents. The trend also underlines that the target killing persistently remains the favorite tool in the hands of violent actors to inflict violence (seethe pie chart below).

Furthermore, data illustrates that of the total 23 incidents of target killings; a whopping 65 percent occurred in Karachi alone, killing 14 people, including one policeman. Militants– casualties due to the ongoing military operation in KP and FATA region fell by 55 percent, as 18 militants were killed this week against last week 40. On the whole, militant casualties were just 19 percent of the total. Meanwhile, the death toll of security personnel declined sharply by 70 percent, as 11 security personnel lost their lives against last week 36, as a result of clashes with the militants during the week.

Meanwhile, the phenomenon of recovery ofdead bodies continued to grip Karachi. During the current week 18 dead bodies were recovered, 10 of them recovered from different areas of Karachi alone. In sum, the number of violent incidents raised slightly from last week 43 to 45 this week, the number of casualties however dropped sharply from 136 to 93, while the number of wounded decreased from 92 to 71.

Unfolding violent trends suggest that the security situation in Pakistan continues to deteriorate, with no signs of improvement. Figures suggest that almost 500 persons have perished across Pakistan as a result of different incidents of violence during last four weeks. Most of the dead were the direct consequence of clashes between military and militants in FATA and ongoing target killings, especially in Karachi. Also during the current week, the militants who had fled Malakand during military operation in 2009, launched cross Pak-Afghan border attacks in Kurram Agency and killed few locals. This trend has made the situation across Pak-Afghan border very precarious and frightening for the Pakistani people living across the border.

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