KARACHI: Pakistan witnessed a 143 percent increase in civilian casualties in the month of January, compared to the previous month, an Islamabad-based think tank said on Monday, with the country’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces experiencing the highest number of incidents.
The surge in attacks comes amid a resurgence of militant activity in Pakistan’s northwestern and southwestern regions bordering Afghanistan, where security forces have been confronting multiple groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). Islamabad has often accused Kabul of allowing militants to operate from Afghan soil and New Delhi of backing these groups, allegations they both deny.
Pakistan saw a 28 percent increase in militant attacks, with 87 incidents across the country in January, the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said in its report. Of these, 38 attacks took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 27 in Balochistan and two in the Punjab province.
“A total of 361 people were killed during the month, including 242 militants, 73 civilians, and 46 security force personnel,” PICSS said in its report.
