ISLAMABAD: The incidents of terrorism have increased significantly with worrisome number of fatalities during 2022 with a total of 464 terror related incidents and 400 casualties during the year so far compared to 88 such incidents and 253 human losses in 2021.
The data compiled by Business Recorder from official and independent sources as well as media reports revealed that there has been an increasing trend of targeted attacks on security forces and a rise in fatalities this year amid fear of more deadly attacks by the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) following the group’s announcement of an end to the ceasefire agreement with the government of Pakistan on November 28.
In background discussions, diplomatic and defence sources maintained that the issue of TTP has been taken up with Afghan Taliban authorities at the ‘highest level’, including during Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar’s day-long visit to Kabul.
“We have conveyed to the Afghan interim government authorities that they should honour their commitments to the international community, including preventing Afghanistan’s soil being used by militant outfits,” said a senior government official on condition of anonymity.
The recent wave of terrorism is a particular source of concern for the security and defence quarters as its incidence is rising despite strict border security arrangements on the now almost all fenced Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the official said, adding that the 16 months of Afghan Taliban in power in Afghanistan has not resulted in a decline in the terror attacks.
During September, October and November, the militants expanded their operations from Swat and Dir to Waziristan, Lakki Marwat and Tank in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by launching a series of terrorist attacks mainly by the TTP while Baloch separatist militant organizations, particularly Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) remained active in parts of Balochistan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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