Pakistan has experienced a disturbing spike in the number of suicide attacks, reaching the highest level since 2014.
The data about the above mentioned has been obtained by the statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) regarding suicide attacks in 2023.
As per the details, “As many as 48% of deaths and 58pc of injuries were inflicted upon the security personnel. A staggering 29 suicide attacks were recorded, resulting in the loss of 329 lives and leaving 582 individuals injured. This marks the highest death toll since 2013 when 683 people lost their lives in 47 suicide bombings.”
Contrary to the data to preceding year, 2022, report reveals a distressing 93pc increase in the number of suicide attacks, a shocking 226pc rise in the resultant deaths, and troubling 101pc spike in the number of individuals that are injured.
Moreover, the share of the suicide attacks in the overall number of attacks escalated from 3.9pc in 2022 to 4.7pc in 2023, highlighting the severity of the situation.
While delving into the region-wise details, Khyer Pakhtunkhwa bore the burnt of these attacks, reporting 23 instances that resulted in 254 fatalities and 512 injuries.
Within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, newly merged districts or erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) experienced 13 suicide attacks, leading to 85 deaths and 206 injuries.
Balochistan faced five attacks, resulting in 67 deaths and 52 injuries, while Sindh experienced one suicide attack resulting in eight deaths and 18 injuries.
The data added that the security forces were the primary targets of these attacks, with civilians constituting the second-largest victim category.
A visual representation in the form of pie charts shows that 48pc of deaths and 58 pc of injuries were inflicted upon security forces personnel.
Examining the historical trajectory, PICSS’s militancy database shows a decline in suicide attacks from 30 in 2014 to a mere three in 2019. There was no such spike in 2020 and 2021, as both years witnessed only four attacks each.
The year 2022 experienced a sudden and significant spike, reporting 15 attacks resulting in 101 deaths and 290 injuries and this worrisome trend persisted into 2023.
