ISLAMABAD: Though violence-related casualties in Pakistan declined at a steady rate since 2015, remained somewhat unchanged in 2020 but seemed to have accelerated dramatically last year.

With an increase of roughly 42pc in 2021, Pakistan suffered 853 fatalities (up from 600 last year) and 1,690 injuries directly linked to violence-related incidents.

Nearly 75pc of all violence-related fatalities were recorded in KP including erstwhile Fata and Balochistan. Of the total fatalities, Punjab accounted for 8pc followed by Sindh.

Compared to the fatalities in 2020, all regions except Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan suffered an exponential surge in violence with Balochistan accounting for a net 80pc increase.

These are the crux of the annual security report (2021) released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).

According to the report, commensurately, both security operations and terror attacks increased last year. A total of 146 security operations were carried out during the year leaving 298 outlaws dead, a rise of more than 40pc, against the figures of 2020.

In contrast, there were 403 terror attacks compared to 2020. Four suicide attacks took place last year that left 20 people dead compared to two suicide attacks in 2020.

An alarming upsurge of over 41pc was observed in 2021 in the fatalities of security personnel. In 2020, there was a decline of 18pc in security personnel’s fatalities. Outlaws (including militants, insurgents and criminals) suffered a 26.5pc increase in fatalities while the civilians accounted for the largest number of the victims of violence. As a whole, the combined losses of civilian and security personnel’s lives were 74pc of the total fatalities while the outlaws, the main perpetrators of violence, had suffered one fourth of the fatalities.

Afghan militants and even a member of the Afghan Taliban were reported to have been involved in violence in Pakistan that left 15 persons dead.

Also read: Supporting Afghan Taliban may be counterproductive, seminar told

Mob violence brought about by Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protests resulted in the deaths of 13 people with another 1,056 people wounded, mostly policemen.

Inspired by the TLP protests, some teenagers also took the law into their hands and carried out violent attacks in the name of religion.

“The government had initiated dialogues with the TTP [Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan] leadership in Afghanistan to seek a peaceful solution to the ongoing wave of militancy in the country. As a goodwill gesture, the government and TTP had announced a ceasefire for a month that ended on December 11, 2021.

“Despite the government’s willingness to extend its duration, the TTP refused to extend its limit. It is claimed that while the dialogues are still ongoing with the TTP, the resurgence of violence with security personnel as the main target has become a matter of concern,” the report stated.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2022