A decade in review: Less terror fatalities bring a ray of hope in Pakistan

In the last 10 years, the armed forces employed a successful strategy to significantly reduce terrorism in the country

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan was once known to the world as a terror-ridden country because of the frequent terror attacks that its people had to endure for more than a decade. In the last 10 years, however, incidents related to terrorism significantly decreased year after year.

In the decade following 2010, the Pakistan Army and other state institutions, under a successful strategy, ended the unrest and restored the atmosphere of peace in the country. While efforts were employed to ensure the implementation of the National Security Policy, armed forces and the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) launched several operations against terrorists to rid the country of terrorism.

According to the data available with The Express Tribune, during the last 10 years, a total of 2,353 incidents of terrorism, suicide attacks and targeted killings were reported in which 13,192 Pakistani nationals were martyred and more than 25,000 people were injured. As a result of the successful anti-terrorism operation, more than 19,033 terrorists were killed, while security forces also targeted 1,623 armed fighters and criminals. During the operation, 2,575 officers and security personnel were martyred.

The report also revealed that 1,537 people were martyred in 2010, while the number of people losing their lives in 2011 was 2,392. Likewise, 2,732 and 2,703 people were martyred in terrorist activities including, suicide attacks, in 2012 and 2013, respectively. With the launch of Operation Zarb-e-Azab and its follow-up Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, the number of terrorist attacks and, consequently the number of targeted Pakistanis, declined with each passing year.

In 2014, terrorists attacked the Army Public School wherein they martyred 148 children and injured 114, while 1,476 Pakistani citizens were martyred in numerous other terrorist attacks. In 2015 and 2016, some 866 and 545 civilians were martyred, respectively. According to statistics, 440 people lost their lives in 2017, 359 in 2018, while in 2019, 142 civilians died in terror-related incidents.

Per statistics, the highest number of fatalities were reported in Sindh in the last ten years, where 4,278 people were martyred and 3,707 people were injured in various acts of terrorism and targeted killings. In Balochistan, extremist outfits martyred 3,209 people, 2,480 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), 841 in Punjab, 52 in Islamabad, 43 in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), while two people were martyred in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

The report also revealed that the armed forces and the LEAs together targeted a total of 19,033 terrorists in various operations. In the areas of the erstwhile Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the Provincially-Administered Tribal Areas (PATA), the highest number of terrorists were targeted by the authorities. Accordingly, 14,427 terrorists were quarantined, while during clashes with the security forces and in different operations, 1,606 terrorists in K-P, 1,335 in Sindh, 1,207 in Balochistan, 17 in G-B, eight in Islamabad, and two terrorists were killed in AJK.

That apart, the decade following 2010 turned out to be quite grim for Pakistani political parties, journalists, polio workers, doctors, teachers and lawyers. Along with civilians, political leaders have also been victimised in different terrorist attacks and targeted killings. In different terror-related incidents 1,334 political persons were targeted, out of which 346 activists belonged to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), 152 supported the Awami National Party (ANP), 149 represented the Balochistan National Party (BNP), 73 were from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), 50 from the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), 45 from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), 17 from the Pakistan Muslim League Functional (PML-F) and 42 people from other political parties became targets in terrorist incidents.

Per statistics, terrorists attacked 62 doctors, 13 media personnel and journalists, 57 polio guards and 46 polio workers in different unrelated incidents.

Over the past 10 years, the dedication and sacrifices of the armed forces and the law enforcement agencies have undoubtedly lowered terrorist incidents in the country to a significant extent. However, a surge in crime rates was witnessed due to the uncertain economic conditions of the country, together with high rates of unemployment.

According to the National Police Bureau, a total of 5.7 million cases were reported from all the four provinces of Pakistan throughout the decade. Out of the total, 330,703 cases were related to robberies, 166,531 cases were associated with abductions, 102,672 murder cases, 114,881 attempted murder cases, while 5.5 million cases were related to other crimes.