KARACHI: As the death toll of suspects in encounters with law-enforcers in the city rose by 92 per cent in the first quarter of the year, a 93pc drop has been witnessed in the number of law-enforcers’ casualties during this period as compared to last year, says a report.

Prepared by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the report is based on reports published in newspapers of incidents that occurred in Karachi from January to March in 2014 and 2015.

The report says the overall number of killings during the first quarter has dropped by around 33 per cent. Last year 800 people were killed in the three months, while this year the death toll stands at 532, it explains.

In encounters, the report says, 137 people were killed between January and March this year, a 92 per cent increase from last year’s killings which stood at 71.

The number of policemen killed this year has dropped by 93pc, with three murders as compared to last year’s 46. Similarly, four soldiers of the paramilitary force were killed this year, while three were killed in the first quarter of 2014.

However, it says, the paramilitary force killed 61 per cent less number of people in encounters this year than last year. Seventeen deaths in exchange of fire were reported from January to March 2015, while 44 were killed by the paramilitary force during the period last year.

Sectarian killing

The report finds a 50pc drop in sectarian killings this year, with 20 deaths as compared to 40 during the first quarter of last year. However, it says, the number of people killed by the banned outfits increased by 180 per cent – from last year’s 11 to the current year’s 29.

The report says 34 political activists were killed last year while 25 this year, indicating a drop of 26 per cent. The Lyari gang warfare claimed less lives this year than last year, a drop of 46 per cent. Fourteen people were killed from January to March 2015 as compared to 26 during the same period last year.

It says the number of bodies found in the city this year dropped by 57 per cent, with 43 bodies spotted this year as compared to the 102 bodies found last year.

The number of people abducted and killed decreased from last year’s 23 to 17 in 2015.

In all, five people were killed by security guards across the city last year, while two were killed during the current year.

However, the report says, the death toll from toxic liquor consumption and of those killed on railway tracks increased. It shows six and 14 deaths on railway tracks this and last year, respectively, while the death from toxic liquor increased to 12 this year from four last year.

Women

The number of women killed between January and March in Karachi has dropped to 25 this year from last year’s figure of 55. Of them, 14 were killed by relatives last year and eight this year. Besides, 23 women were killed by unidentified people last year, while number of such murder cases reduced to 13 this year.

Bomb blasts left 10 women dead last year and one woman dead this year.

Children

The law and order situation, however, was less devastating for children this time as it claimed nine lives in the past three months, while the figure was 30 in the first quarter of last year.

Bomb blasts killed seven children last year and one this year.

Stray bullets left five children dead last year and one this year.

There were four victims of child abuse who were killed last year, while this year there was one.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2015

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