A report by Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS)
The month of December saw a moderate reduction in the number of casualties related to militant, sectarian and politically-motivated violence plaguing Pakistan.
The overall death toll was at around 275 while up to 325 people were wounded in these hostilities bringing the total number of deaths in 2013 to 5665. The figures recorded in November stood at 320 deaths and 320 wounded.
It is, however, difficult to ascertain as to what exactly led to the decline in violence in view of the prevailing confusion that surrounds efforts Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government is making to shape up an effective national security policy to end the bloodshed in the country. Please find the detail of the report here
A deadly suicide bombing against a security post in the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan in mid December that killed several soldiers provoked the military to launch a massive retaliatory offensive in the region, involving ground and air raids, allegedly killed nearly three dozen militants mostly Uzbeks.
While the army insisted the offensive was carefully planned to avoid collateral damage, residents in the area accused security forces of killing mostly civilians. But the both the accounts as usual were difficult to confirm because the remote tribal region remains inaccessible to journalists and aid workers.
The operation prompted nationwide media speculations that a long-awaited military offensive against suspected militant bases in North Waziristan was finally either underway or about to be launched. But the army rejected these reports as unfounded, insisting the offensive was just meant to punish planners of the December 18 suicide bombing.
Critics suggested the talk of a possible large-scale military offensive might have discouraged militants from carrying out subversive acts elsewhere in Pakistan and instead focused on fortifying their traditional bases to prepare for the reported army operation.
Meanwhile, authorities claimed that violence also went down in Karachi during the month because of the ongoing operation targeting criminal elements in the city. They cited nearly 40 percent reduction in “incidents of murders” in Karachi since the operation was launched and the trend continued into December.
The outgoing year witnessed a rise in Shia-Sunni violence but targeted killings of top scholars from both the Muslim sects in December particularly in Punjab gave a new alarming dimension to the religious rivalry that has claimed thousands of lives in Pakistan over the years.
All these events and other facts reported in the national newspapers are collected to make this report as informative and factual as possible. Errors and omissions, as always a possibility in all statistical works including this one, are expected. However, such mistakes do not grossly affect the basic objective of this report. This report mainly covers the following topics:
Target killings and targeted operation in Karachi, Sectarianism violence, Declining rate of violence, Drone Attacks and security operation
CRSS will appreciate receiving comments that the readers may have on this report.
Report prepared by: Mohammad Nafees, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Research and Security Studies. Data compilation by: Fariha Farry
NOTE: Readers can approach CRSS for source of any information included in the report. Please send your request to: [mail@crss.pk]
