ISLAMABAD: Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) states that the present trends of sharp rise in terrorism predict that the country is fast moving towards the precarious security situation that persisted before the deadliest terrorist attack on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar in December 2014.
PIPS in “Pakistan Security Report” said that year 2024 recorded a perturbing rise in both frequency and intensity of terrorist attacks in Pakistan and its security landscape could regress to the pre-APS era if this trajectory persists.
By 2024, the number of attacks has reached levels comparable to the security situation in 2015 or before.
After a gradual decline in terrorist violence since 2014-15, the trend began reversing following the Taliban’s 2021 capture of Kabul.
The PIPS report gives an overview of the country’s security for the year 2024, presenting critical challenges and recommendations to improve the volatile situation.
A significant difference remains that unlike the period before 2014, terrorists no longer control specific territories inside Pakistan. Yet, the prevailing insecurity in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan is alarming, reads the report.
In 2024, the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) emerged as a key actor of terrorist-violence in Pakistan. While the attacks by the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) killed about 300 people during the year, the BLA-orchestrated attacks caused 225 fatalities, a figure comparable to TTP-led terrorism.
Over 95 percent of terrorist attacks recorded in 2024 were concentrated in the provinces of KP and Balochistan. The data highlights a troubling expansion of militant influence in these regions, which have become pivotal to their operations.
Marking a 70 percent increase from the previous year, Pakistan experienced a total of 521 terrorist attacks in 2024. This intensified wave of terrorism claimed 852 lives, reflecting a 23 percent rise compared to the terrorism-related fatalities recorded the year before. Another 1,092 people were injured in these attacks recorded during the year.
In 2024, as many as 358 personnel from security and law enforcement agencies were martyred in terrorist attacks – 78 FC (both Frontier Constabulary and Frontier Corps) men, 140 policemen, 124 army officials, 13 Levies members and three unspecified paramilitary soldiers. Similarly, 355 civilians lost their lives and another 621 were wounded in these attacks. Meanwhile, 139 militants were killed and another 10 were wounded – either during the suicide blasts they perpetrated or in retaliatory fire by security forces following certain attacks.
Although terrorist attacks were recorded in all four provinces and the federal capital in 2024, over 95 percent of them were concentrated in KP and Balochistan.
KP recorded the highest number of terrorist incidents in the country during the outgoing year, with 295 attacks that also included five sectarian-related attacks. These attacks claimed 509 lives and left 517 others injured. Compared to the previous year, the number of terrorist incidents in the province increased by 69 percent, while fatalities by 21 percent.
Attacks by various outlawed Baloch insurgent groups, primarily the BLA and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), saw a staggering 119 percent increase, accounting for 171 incidents in the Balochistan province. Overall, Balochistan experienced an 84 percent rise in attacks in 2024 compared to the previous year, with 202 terrorist incidents that claimed 322 lives and injured 534 others.
Compared to 15 in the previous year, 12 terrorist attacks occurred in Sindh province, including 10 in Karachi and one each in Dadu and Larkana districts. These attacks killed a total of 14 people and injured 28 others.
In 2024, Punjab experienced 11 terrorist attacks, a significant increase from six in the previous year. These attacks claimed six lives and injured 12 individuals. One sectarian-related terrorist attack was recorded in Islamabad.
Sectarian violence surged in Pakistan in 2024, with a significant occurrence in the Kurram district of KP. A total of 234 people lost their lives, a sharp increase from 43 fatalities in 2023, and 441 others were injured in a combined total of 24 incidents of sectarian violence, which included 11 sectarian-related attacks and 13 violent sectarian clashes.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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