Grim statistics: Karachi was worst-affected by terrorism in March, Pak Institute for Peace Studies

The number of deaths was 194 per cent higher than that for the previous month.

ISLAMABAD: Karachi was the worst-affected region of Pakistan when it comes to casualties caused by terrorist attacks in March, according to a monthly report published by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies.

As many as 100 people were killed in a total of 36 reported terrorist attacks in the city. This figure for fatalities is a staggering 194 per cent higher as compared to that for the previous month. A total of 168 people were injured in Karachi during terrorist attacks - this 460 percent more than the figure for February.

Out of the 36 attacks reported in Karachi, 12 were perpetrated by banned sectarian outfits, mainly Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan, says the report. In attacks conducted by these groups, 60 people were killed and another 138 were injured. Around 24 attacks were orchestrated by other militant groups, including the TTP, which killed 40 people and 30 injured others.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 61 people were killed and 180 others were injured in 51 reported attacks, including suicide attacks. The report also states that although sectarian attacks significantly decreased in Balochistan, the number of attacks by nationalist insurgents and resulting casualties rose in March. There were a total of 32 reported terrorist attacks in Balochistan in which 27 people were killed and 56 others were injured. Also, the insurgents in Balochistan conducted attacks in 18 districts compared to 10 in the previous month.



The security situation in FATA remained more or less the same as in the previous month, with 30 people killed and 76 injured in 30 reported attacks, says the report. The number of security forces personnel killed and injured in terrorist attacks in FATA during March, however, was far higher than in February. Secondly, four terrorist attacks were reported from Bajaur Agency of FATA after a lull of about three months.

Two attacks were also reported in Punjab and one in Gilgit Baltistan, adds the report. On the whole, a total of 152 terrorist attacks were reported across Pakistan, including five suicide blasts. This represents an increase of about 18 percent as compared to the figure for the previous month.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2013.