Terror-linked fatalities witness spike
The third quarter of 2024 saw a sharp increase in fatalities of terrorist violence and counter-terrorism campaigns, with a 90% surge in violence.
A total of 722 people were killed, including civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, while 615 others were wounded in as many as 328 incidents recorded during the period under review, according to the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).
Nearly 97% of these fatalities occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan - marking the highest percentage in a decade, and over 92% of these incidents of terror attacks and security forces' operations were recorded in the same provinces.
The total fatalities from three quarters of this year have now surpassed the total fatalities recorded for the entire 2023; the number of fatalities rose to at least 1534 in the first three quarters compared to 1523 in 2023.
Despite the security forces' continued anti-terror campaign - on the average, at least 112 intelligence-based operations daily (as claimed by ISPR chief Maj General Ahmed Sharif, July 22), the state writ over vast swaths of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has considerably deteriorated - evidenced in the staggering numbers of victims - both security and non-security Pakistanis.
Open outrage by political leaders, people at large and even police - particularly in Lakki Marwat, Bannu, and Swat - against the growing incidence of target killings and the helplessness of civilian law enforcement - also underscores the aggravating security situation, with police increasingly expressing distrust in the military's control of anti-terror operations.
This has invariably eroded the state authority and widened the wedge between the public and the security apparatus.
Meanwhile, terrorist groups continue to reorganise and beef up their ranks.