Casualties from Violence in Pakistan – Q1, 2021

Pakistan lost 196 persons in this first quarter of 2021, and another 42 were wounded. The erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) (now merged into Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) province) recorded the highest number of fatalities (67), followed by Balochistan (48), KP (35), Sindh (26), Punjab (18), and Islamabad (2). More than 70% of all fatalities were reported from KP (including ex. FATA), and Balochistan. Despite a significant progress in reducing the number of fatalities from violence over the last 6 years, violence related casualties seem concentrated in these two regions (table 01). No casualties were reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), or Gilgit Baltistan (GB).

A marginal uptick in the number of fatalities was recorded during this quarter when compared with the last quarter’s figures. Former FATA was the only region where there was a sharp upsurge in violence (table 2).

From a dip of 22% observed in January, the number of fatalities went up during the next two months. The highest surge was recorded in February that offset the gain that was observed in January (table 03).

North and South Waziristan districts of KP (formerly FATA) experienced the highest number of fatalities during Q1, 2021 followed by Karachi, Peshawar, Machh, and Sibbi with double digit fatalities. A number of districts witnessed sudden surge in violence in Q1, 2021 like Rawalpindi, Kohlu, Killa Abdullah, and Chichawatani. Contrarily, some districts that suffered fatalities in Q4, 2020, reported no incident of violence in Q1, 2021 namely Awaran, Harnai, Panjgur, Kurram, and Mardan (table 4).

Like the previous quarter, gun violence was a major cause of fatalities in this quarter as well. Intelligence based ground operations also continued to contribute to fatalities while other forms of violence like bomb explosions, armed attacks, and dumping of dead bodies after abduction (many missing for months) were also reported.

Encounters between the security personnel and outlaws caused the demise of 12 people and 4 encounters and resulted in public reaction questioning the charges of crimes levelled against the victims by the security officials. Some incidents of extreme brutalities were also reported wherein the victims were either beheaded or beaten to death.

A surge in finding of dead bodies was also noticed during Q1, 2021. One was 12 years old and others were few weeks to 15 months old. Here is a brief detail of these dead bodies to identify the nature of crimes that resulted in such mournful incidents.

• A dead body was found of thirty two year old Luqman Khan, who was kidnapped from Orangi Town 15 months ago.
• A dead body of a schoolteacher, missing for over 12 years, was found in North Waziristan.
• Hayatullah Khan, another missing person and journalist, had taken shelter for a brief time when he had escaped from his captors in 2006.
• The body of a missing leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) was recovered from Killi Nosahar.

• The bodies of four youth were found at a graveyard in Janikhel Seentanga area of Bannu after 3 weeks. Rumors are that these youths had made a video of Taliban’s atrocities in the region that resulted in their abduction and brutal murder. While three bodies carried bullet marks, one of them was beheaded (table 5 – under others).

Civilians again accounted for the largest number of fatalities this quarter. Militants, criminals, and insurgents also witnessed a marginal drop in their fatalities while the security personnel’s fatalities went up by 4% (table 6).

Afghan Taliban and other militants are still operative in the country. On 26 January 2021, an Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Samad Toor was killed in an armed attack in Chamkani area of Peshawar. He belonged to Sarobi area near Kabul. In another incident, Afghan militants from across the border fired at the military check post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mohmand district that martyred an FC soldier 6 January 2021. On March 28, 2021, a man was injured after two mortars fired from Afghanistan landed in a border locality of Mamond Teshil. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) also claimed responsibility for an armed attack that was carried out by a group of 10 terrorists at the check post in the Makeen area resulting in the demise of four soldiers.

As opposed to the previous quarter, Baloch insurgents carried out fewer attacks in Balochistan. Baloch Republican Army (BRA) had also claimed responsibility for a bomb explosion that had targeted a Kashmir rally in Sibi, Balochistan on 6 February 2021 leaving 16 persons injured. Fortunately no fatalities were reported.

While Islamic State (IS) made no claim of any violence, there were reports that they were hiring recruits in Balochistan. The TTP also appears to be less active in the country these days compared to its past history. On 19 February 2021, the former TTP spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, recalled an assassination attempt on Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai nine years ago, and tweeted that next time there would be no mistake. Two days later, four women workers of an NGO in North Waziristan were gunned down by some unidentified terrorists. Nobody claimed responsibility of this attack but it was a kind of indirect reaffirmation of how these terrorists can successfully carry out their task.

Sectarian Violence

Fourteen persons lost their lives and three were injured in terror attacks that were motivated by sectarian hatred. Balochistan had the highest number of fatalities from this crime while some incidents were also reported from Sindh, KP, and Punjab (table 8).

A marginal decline in sectarian-related fatalities were recorded during this quarter. In Q4, 2020, Sunni-Muslims were primarily targeted while Shia-Muslims from Hazara community became a target in Q1, 2021. Ahmadis remained a target of violence during both quarters while Hindus became target of violence in Q1, 2021 (table 9).

Other than the incidents of sectarian violence that were carried out by the outlaws, there was a sudden surge in religious-based violence in the country in Q1, 2021 that were committed by common people. Here is a brief list of the victims of such violence

• 25th January 2021: A man named Humayun Pasha was severely beaten by a mob in Mirpur Azad Kashmir on blasphemy charges.
• 29 January 2021: A Christian nurse accused of blasphemy was beaten up by a mob of women in Karachi.
• 30 January 2021: A man in Faisalabad killed his father with a brick for not getting up to offer prayers in the morning.
• 12 February 2021: A teenager shot dead an Ahmadi homeopathic doctor in Bazidkhel area.

• In March 2021, a photograph of a shop on Railway Road of Peshawar was posted on social media that carried a poster saying “No work for Qadianis and Shias will be performed here.”

• 6 March 2021: Five-member Hindu family found slaughtered in house in Rahim Yar Khan. No reason for the incident was reported (this is not in the table below as it is unclear whether this was sectarian or some other form of crime).
• 27 March 2021: A Shia religious scholar was killed with an axe over blasphemy allegations In Jhang, but this was not deemed to be motivated by sectarianism.