According to a think tank analysis, Pakistan had 245 terror incidents and counterterrorism operations in the first quarter of 2024

According to a think tank estimate, Pakistan saw up to 245 incidences of terror attacks and counter-terror operations in the first quarter of 2024, which resulted in 432 deaths and 370 injuries among civilians, security officials, and rebels.

During this time, the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, which border Afghanistan, accounted for almost 92% of all deaths and 86% of assaults (including acts of terrorism and security forces operations).

According to the security assessment released by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), each of the two experienced 51% and 41% of all deaths in the first quarter of 2024.

Less than 8% of all deaths occurred in the other areas, according to the statistics, which suggests that they were rather quiet.

It’s interesting to note that, in the first quarter of 2024, fewer than 20% of all deaths linked to terrorism were claimed by militant groups.

Jabhat Ansar al-Mahdi Khorasan (JAMK), a new terrorist organization connected to the Gul Bahadur group, has surfaced.

Apart from the victims of terrorism and counterterrorism, the nation saw 64 instances of sabotage directed against government, political, private, and security assets.

Balochistan had a startling 96% increase in violence in the first quarter of 2023, with 178 deaths as opposed to 91 in the last quarter of 2023.

Violence in Sindh increased by over 47%, however there were relatively few deaths.

Nonetheless, there were positive declines in violence by 24%, 85%, and 65% in the areas of KP, Punjab, and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), respectively.

Even though there was a noticeable decline in violence in GB throughout the time under study, on March 31, 2024, the home minister of GB issued a terror threat warning on the potential for strikes by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is proscribed.

The notice was issued in response to a suicide assault that claimed the lives of five Chinese nationals and a local driver while targeting a convoy of Chinese engineers working on the Dasu Dam project in the Shangla region of KP.

It’s important to remember that, according to the study, GB had the most number of deaths in ten years last year—17 people died.

During the first quarter of this year, criminals suffered barely 35 percent (151) of all deaths in around 48 counter-terror operations, while civilians and security force members suffered over 65 percent (281) of all deaths in over 200 terror incidents.

There were almost four times as many assaults on civilians and security personnel as there were security operations against the criminals.

There were more casualties among civilians than any other group, accounting for 154 deaths (36%).

In the first quarter of 2024, the overall death toll from outlaws, militants, and insurgents dropped by about 15%, but the death toll from civilians and security personnel increased by 17% from the final quarter of 2023.

Remarkably, certain terrorist groups that were quite active last year—like the outlawed Tehreek-i-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), Lashkar-i-Islami (LI), and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ)—have not reported any terrorist attacks this quarter.

The only groups claiming credit for these assaults are the extremist Islamic State organization, also known as Daesh, and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

In the first quarter, 18 assaults resulting in 42 deaths and 40 injuries were attributed to the outlawed insurgent organizations Balochistan Liberation Army, Baloch Liberation Front, Baloch Raaji Ajoi Sangar, and Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (three times higher than the militant groups).

The government and security facilities, such as Turbat Naval Base, Mach Jail, and Gwadar Port Complex, were the main objectives of the rebel forces.

Eight reports of sectarian violence in the first quarter affected all religious groups, Muslims and non-Muslims equally.

Ahmadis suffered the greatest number of casualties (9), while Shias suffered three deaths as a result of violence.

The report also said that a Sunni was the target of an act of violence.