Relatives of the victims of Peshawar church blast. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD IQBAL /FILE
September turned to be the deadliest month of this year in terms of acts of violence as 1,048 people were killed across the country, a 35 per cent increase compared to the previous month, according to a press release.
According to a report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, violence-related casualties during September numbered 1,048, of which 493 persons were killed and 555 injured.
This proved to be a significant increase of 35% compared to 774 casualties in August, 432 deaths and 342 injured.
More than half of the casualties were reported in the last nine days, from September 22 to 30, when 240 persons died and over 370 persons were injured throughout the country.
According to the report, while the participants of the All Parties Conference (APC) agreed to seek an end to the militancy through negotiations, the joint resolution issued after the conference failed to clearly identify stakeholders on the other side and whether the talks would be held within the limits defined by the Constitution.
The report stated that the peace overtures made by the government and various political parties, however, were not enough to dissuade terrorists from violence.
Peshawar and its surrounding areas in particular witnessed some of the deadliest attacks towards the end of September.
There were 28 casualties in five drone attacks in September, 24 deaths and four injuries, stated the report. Two of the drone attacks had taken place prior to the APC resolution, while the remaining three occurred afterwards.
There was some respite for Balochistan as it experienced a significant reduction in violence-related deaths last month.
Compared to 138 deaths in August, there were 53 persons who lost their lives due to violence in September, an almost 40 per cent reduction.
However, unsuccessful attempts were made by insurgents to target high-profile government officials during the rescue operation for the earthquake-affected people of Awaran.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2013.
COMMENTS (11)
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@Ali Abbasi: You may be right, however if this was happening in any Country, than no doubt that the authorities would have had a serious "Wake up Call" or would be out of office in shame, for not handling this sort of mess. Only the failed states with no governance are likely to respond in the manner that Pakistani authorities are at present. But in Pakistan its very likely to become non event, as its occurrences are simply too frequent and yet there really is not policy in place to deal with this sort of carnage, this sends out wrong message to those causing the mayhem, that they are succeeding. Believe me, as I have just returned from Kenya, and in aftermath of their problems in Nairobi recently , one can sense they are very serious about security for the people.
Pakistan has more deaths from Taliban attacks in the course of 4 or 5 months than the USA had in the past 13 years -- and you still call this America's war on terror? What's really terrible is that after America departs in 2014 the casualty rates are likely to escalate. Surrender, negotiate or fight - but I suggest you do something other than talk about it.
432 slaughtered in August - 493 in September. Time to wake up and smell the roses. Talking about "peace talks" and talking about "war on terror" isn't accomplishing anything - how about actually negotiating with Taliban or eliminating the Taliban.
We stand by the government of Pakistan in its fight against terrorism. We cannot over emphasize Pakistan’s importance in stabilizing the region. We greatly appreciate all of Pakistan’s sacrifices in the region. Our common wish to see peace prevail throughout the region has helped us overcome many obstacles and challenges in our decade long partnership. At the same time, the terrorists see our nations as a common threat to their criminal objectives. We certainly hope to stay unified and target those who pose a risk to the safety of our nations. We repeat what Richard Olson, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, said recently: “The United States looks forward to continuing cooperation with Pakistan in ways that are compatible with Pakistan’s economic, environmental, and security needs and with US international commitments and policies.”
Ali Khan DET, United States Central Command
They yet to start talks. There was only APC, which seems to be no different then earlier one. I hope Mr Nawaz soon tired of overseas tour and do something concreate for bringing peace and stability in Roshan Pakistan.
Well for now let's just flock to the movies and watch 'waaar'. The ISPR's way of coming up with their version of why the present state of affairs in the country. Seems like things are getting too desperate for even them to come up with such a gimmick
For Tribune and all the bashers, please show me one report or news where it states government has started talking to Talibans officially.
There has been no talks people, so please act sensibly.
Though the release of the data is a clear indicator that peace overtures are proving to be counter-productive, but PTI, PMLN, and Maulana Fazl may not buzz an inch from their rigid stand of holding talks. The main reason for this hopeless situation which the country finds itself is that the military who is to protect the fort has opened the gates to the invaders, leaving the inmates at the mercy of these barbarians to either hold talks or get killed by them which is none of their business.
Yes ! Its all very sad. But whose fault is it ? The answer is your own Army/Govt, as they simply lack the will or ability to deal with the very cockroaches they have created and sheltered in name of Foreign Policy, however they have decided that the State itself is the easy target, hence the daily mayhem and carnage on the streets of the nation ! They claim to be victims of terror, but they forget to mention the fact that they have allowed these elements free reign in the Country, hence the current state of NW !
The headline is incorrect. There are 1,048 CASUALTIES, not deaths. As stated in the second paragraph of the article there were 493 deaths.
Wait for the conspiracy theorists point to 'anti-peace' forces trying to disrupt talks. They will never answer the question, that if TTP is not using violence, why are we even talking to them? Shouldn't we be talking to the 'anti-peace' forces instead of the innocent TTP?