Violence-related fatalities in Pakistan hit 6-year high

• Pakistan witnesses 1,524 deaths in 2023. 
• Sees surge in violence for 3rd consecutive year.
• Nearly 65% of fatalities resulted from terrorism.

ISLAMABAD: More than 1,500 people, including outlaws, lost their lives in violence-related fatalities while over 1,400 sustained injuries in Pakistan from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023, The News reported Monday. 

According to the Annual Security Report released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the country witnessed 1,524 deaths and 1,463 injuries in the previous year.

This includes nearly 1,000 fatalities among civilians and security forces personnel. The overall fatalities, including those of outlaws, mark a record six-year high, exceeding the 2018 level and the highest since 2017. Moreover, the country saw a surge in violence for the third consecutive year with an uptick recorded each year beginning from 2021.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were the primary centres of violence, accounting for over 90% of all fatalities and 84% of attacks including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations recorded during this period. Punjab and Sindh were relatively peaceful, as both these provinces combined suffered 8% of all fatalities in 2023.

The year 2023 also recorded an alarming surge in violence by about 56% — an unprecedented escalation in the last 10 years, with the overall number of fatalities increasing from 980 in 2022 to 1,524 in 2023. This includes a staggering 57% uptick recorded in Balochistan and 55% in KP. Punjab saw a 96% rise in violence, even though the number of fatalities was very low, followed by Sindh where the deaths increased by 26%.

Nearly 65% of all violence-related fatalities recorded in 2023 resulted from terrorism, while the remaining 35% from the security forces operations against the outlaws.

The country suffered as many as 586 terror attacks this year, with 17% claimed by the banned terror outfits such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Daesh and others. The security forces conducted 197 operations against outlaws leaving 537-545 of them dead.

The number of terrorist and insurgent attacks surpassed security operations against outlaws by almost three times, resulting in a higher number of casualties among both civilians and security personnel compared to the casualties among outlaws. 

In addition to three major types of violence — security operations, terror attacks, and insurgency — two other manifestations of violence stemming from political turmoil in the country have also contributed to casualties. Although the fatalities among outlaws were the highest when compared to those of security officials and civilians, the combined fatalities of security officials and civilians were nearly double the number of outlaws’ fatalities. Furthermore, the security officials and civilians experienced more than twice the number of terror incidents compared to the total count of security operations conducted against the outlaws.

With over 500 fatalities and 299 terror attacks suffered, 2023 was the deadliest year for security forces in nearly a decade, exceeding the 2015 level and highest since 2014. Moreover, this year, their fatalities surged and an uptick was recorded in the terror attacks they suffered for the third consecutive year from 2021.

Contrary to the declining trend that had persisted since 2015, an alarming reversal occurred in 2021, which was coincidently the year when the Afghan Taliban had regained their control in Afghanistan.

Throughout the year, Baloch insurgents and jihadi militants exhibited heightened activity, with a total of 101 terror attacks claimed by them this year. Baloch insurgents claimed responsibility for 32 attacks, showcasing BLA as the most prolific insurgent outfit with 24 executed attacks.