A NEW report shows that the number of fatalities and injuries from violence in 2016 declined sharply from the previous year. The report, prepared by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, shows there was a 45pc reduction in fatalities last year due to violence, though the decrease in injuries from violence was a more modest 11pc. There are grounds for some cheer in this report, and taken as a whole, the figures at the national level point towards an improvement in the security situation in the country. But a closer look reveals a few disturbing patterns.

For one, violent incidents of a sectarian nature appear to have spread to areas that were previously unaffected, particularly towns in Sindh. Second, the terrorists appear to have adapted to the tougher security measures around the country by resorting to more attacks using improvised explosive devices, landmines and suicide attackers, which killed almost twice as many people in 2016 as in the previous year. These attacks have also become more indiscriminate, killing women and children as well as members of all communities who happen to be in the vicinity. The attack in Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park in Lahore is a prime example. Supposedly an instance of communal violence, the suicide bombing claimed the lives of those belonging to many faiths, including 29 children in the playground. The reduction in the overall level of violence is to be welcomed, but the patterns of violence in 2016 suggest that the terrorism threat in the country is adapting in deadly ways and much work remains to be done to turn the corner in this battle. An emphasis on civil law enforcement is crucial to carry the battle forward into the new era of terrorism threats that appears to be opening up before us. It will be vital to reform the police and enhance judicial capacities to meet the new challenges, as well as work harder to de-legitimise terrorist and extremist narratives in order to drain this swamp.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2017