Islamabad: Pakistan saw at least 245 terror attacks, primarily in the violence-prone Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, during the first quarter of 2024 that resulted in 432 deaths and 370 injuries among civilians, security personnel and rebels, according to a think tank report. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan accounted for 86 per cent of the attacks and 92 per cent of the deaths.

According to the security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suffered 51 per cent of casualties and Balochistan witnessed 41 per cent of the deaths in the first quarter of 2024. The remaining regions were relatively peaceful, suffering less than 8 per cent of all fatalities. However, militant organisations claimed responsibility for less than 20 per cent of the total casualties attributed to terrorism.

Meanwhile, a new militant group named Jabhat Ansar al-Mahdi Khorasan (JAMK), affiliated with the Gul Bahadur group, has emerged, while the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains one of the most prominent terrorist groups responsible for a series of attacks in recent years. There were also 64 incidents of sabotage in the country targeting properties of the government, and politicians, along with private and security properties.

96 per cent surge in violence in Balochistan

In the first quarter of 2024, the Balochistan province of Pakistan recorded a massive 96 per cent surge in violence, with fatalities rising from 91 in the last quarter of 2023 to 178 in 2024. Sindh saw a nearly 47 per cent rise in violence, though the number of fatalities was very low. The regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan recorded decreases in violence by 24 per cent, 85 per cent, and 65 per cent respectively.

However, a terror alert was issued in Gilgit-Baltistan on March 31 following a suicide bomb attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers in the Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who were working on the Dasu Dam project, resulting in the deaths of five Chinese nationals and a local driver. Gilgit-Baltistan suffered the highest number of fatalities in a decade in 2023, with 17 lives lost, according to the report.

In the first quarter of the current year, civilians and security forces personnel suffered over 65 per cent (281) of all fatalities in nearly 200 terror attacks, compared to outlaws suffering only 35 per cent (151) in around 48 counter-terror operations. The attacks on security officials and civilians outnumbered the security operations conducted against the outlaws almost fourfold.

Terrorist outfits in Pakistan

Surprisingly, certain terrorist outfits, such as the banned Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), Lashkar-e-Islami (LI), and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), which were highly active the previous year, have abstained from claiming any acts of terrorism this quarter. Only the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the militant Islamic State group, or Daesh, have claimed responsibility for some attacks.

The banned insurgent groups, Balochistan Liberation Army, Baloch Liberation Front, Baloch Raaji Ajoi Sangar, and Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army, claimed responsibility for 18 attacks (three times more than the claims of the militant groups) in the first quarter, causing 42 fatalities and 40 injuries. The prime targets of the insurgent groups were the security and government installations, including Gwadar Port Complex, Mach Jail, and Turbat Naval Base.

In the first quarter, eight incidents of sectarian violence were reported, impacting all religious communities, including Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Among the non-Muslim communities, Ahmadis endured the highest casualties (9), while three fatalities occurred among Shias due to violence. Additionally, a Sunni was also targeted in an act of violence, according to the report.

This came as unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate fire on a Pakistan Army bomb disposal team on Sunday near the port city of Gwadar in the restive Balochistan province, killing two soldiers and injuring four others. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has, in the past, claimed most of the attacks in Gwadar.

(with inputs from PTI)

ALSO READ | Pakistan police arrests 12 in connection with suicide bomb attack that killed five Chinese nationals