KARACHI: A report published by an Islamabad-based think tank said this week that Pakistan suffered the highest number of militant attacks across the country since November 2014, with experts attributing the surge in attacks to the freedom with which militants from Afghanistan have been operating from within their country since 2021.
The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) recently released a report that said a total of 99 “acts of terrorism” took place across the country in August, adding that it was the highest number of militant attacks in Pakistan since November 2014, when suicide attacks were on the rise as Islamabad grappled with an insurgency led by the Pakistani Taliban in its northwestern tribal areas.
According to the report, the attacks last month caused 112 deaths and 87 injuries, with a majority of the casualties being security forces personnel and civilians.
“There was an 83 percent rise in militant attacks compared with July as 54 attacks were reported in July,” the report said.
The PICSS report mentioned four suicide attacks took place in August compared to five in July, of which three occurred in the tribal districts of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province while one took place in mainland KP.
“Overall, the country has witnessed 22 suicide attacks in the first eight months of 2023, in which 227 people have been killed and 497 injured,” the report stated.
Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province and the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in northwestern Pakistan were most affected by militant violence in August compared to July, the report said.
It added that Balochistan witnessed a 65 percent increase in militant attacks from 17 in July to 28 in August while the erstwhile FATA witnessed a 106 percent increase in attacks from 18 in July to 37 in August.
Both regions also saw a decrease in fatalities, by 19 percent and 29 percent respectively, the report added.
“The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (excluding tribal districts) also saw a significant increase in militant attacks, from 15 in July to 29 in August, a 93 percent rise,” it said. “The deaths and injuries also increased by 188 percent and 73 percent respectively,” adding that most of these attacks were claimed by the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or their splinter groups.
The TTP has launched some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistan since over a decade-and-a-half, killing thousands of Pakistanis. The militant group seeks to enforce its own brand of strict, Islamic law and has stepped up attacks in Pakistan once again after a fragile truce between the state and TTP militants broke down in November 2022.
Abdullah Khan, the managing director of PICSS, noted the “free movement” that the TTP militants enjoyed in Afghanistan and safe havens for Baloch militants in Iran were contributing factors to the deteriorating security situation in Pakistan.
“As the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan enjoys free movement in Afghanistan, the Baloch militants seem to operate from safe heavens in Iran despite the neighboring country’s assurance to Pakistan,” Khan told Arab News.
Khan attributed the rise in militant attacks by TTP against Pakistan to the change of regime in Afghanistan in 2021, adding that it provided the Pakistani Taliban with increased freedom and support from within the war-ravaged country.
“Previously people would go from Pakistan for Jihad-e-Afghanistan to fight against the USSR and later the USA,” he said. “Now, Afghan nationals are coming for ‘Jihad-e-Pakistan’ under the platform of the TTP, which is a big factor we have witnessed after Taliban’s takeover of Kabul.”
Khan said the Afghan Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan had also boosted the morale of the Pakistani Taliban, adding that mosques in Pakistan had celebrated the Kabul takeover in 2021.
Dr. Asfandyar Mir, a senior expert at the US Institute of Peace, emphasized that support from the Afghan Taliban had made the TTP a more lethal and “formidable threat” to Pakistan.
“The TTP is an increasingly formidable threat confronting Pakistan,” Mir said. “Not only has it been inspired by the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, it is also enjoying deep state support from the Taliban regime.”
He said that on the other hand, Pakistan’s response to the rising TTP challenge has been hampered by economic woes and political instability.
“And the TTP has exploited this to its advantage,” Mir concluded.
Pakistan saw highest number of militant attacks in August since 2014 — report
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Pakistan saw highest number of militant attacks in August since 2014 — report
- Report by Islamabad-based think tank says attacks in August claimed 112 lives, injured 87
- Experts attribute rise in attacks to Afghan government’s support for the Pakistani Taliban
Marco Rubio, Saudi FM discuss efforts to de-escalate India-Pakistan tensions
- World leaders, including Trump, have urged restraint and called for peaceful resolution of issues between both states
- India launched missile attacks inside Pakistan a day earlier, while Islamabad said it had shot down five fighter jets
ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud discussed efforts to de-escalate tensions between Pakistan and India as South Asia faces the risk of a major conflict, his office said on Thursday.
The development follows Indian missile strikes a day earlier that killed 31 people and injured 57 in different Pakistani cities, with New Delhi calling it a response to an April 22 attack in the disputed Kashmir region that left 26 tourists dead and which it blamed on Pakistan despite Islamabad’s repeated denials.
Pakistan said it shot down five Indian fighter jets and destroyed several border posts in the military clash that followed. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed the Indian missile attacks a “grave mistake” and warned that New Delhi “will have to face consequences.”
“The secretary and the foreign minister discussed regional security matters, economic engagement and efforts to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan,” US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
She added the US state secretary also commended the Saudi government for its efforts to help stabilize Syria, to stop the fighting in Sudan and continued engagement with Lebanon and the issues in the Red Sea.
World leaders including President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged restraint and pressed for a peaceful resolution between the nuclear-armed neighbors amid rising fears of a broader military confrontation.
Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan’s military said it had shot down 12 Israeli-made Harop drones launched by India at multiple locations, adding that the cross-border campaign was continuing and had left one civilian dead and four army officers injured.
India and Pakistan have fought multiple wars since independence over the disputed Himalayan region which they both claim in full but control in parts.
Pakistani man killed as military says 12 Israeli-made drones shot down amid hostilities with India
- The military’s spokesperson calls the drone campaign a ‘serious provocation,’ says it’s continuing
- He asks the world community to take notice of India’s hostile actions in a ‘charged’ environment
KARACHI: Pakistan’s military said Thursday it had shot down 12 Israeli-made Harop drones launched by India at multiple locations, adding that the cross-border campaign was continuing and had left one civilian dead and four army officers injured.
The situation follows Indian missile strikes a day earlier that killed 31 people and injured 57 in different Pakistani cities, with New Delhi calling it a response to an April 22 attack in the disputed Kashmir region that left 26 tourists dead and which it blamed on Pakistan despite Islamabad’s repeated denials.
New Delhi said it had targeted “terrorist infrastructure” across Pakistan, while Islamabad condemned the strikes as a violation of sovereignty and said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets.
“Last night, that is the night of 7th and 8th May, India has undertaken yet another blatant military act of aggression against Pakistan by sending Harop drones at multiple locations,” military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in a televised statement. “Pakistan Armed Forces being in a high state of alert and vigilance has so far neutralized 12 Harop drones at various locations,”
“Other than these 12, one drone, however, managed to engage a military target near Lahore partially,” he continued. “Four men of Pakistan Army have been injured in this attack near Lahore and partial damage to an equipment has occurred.”
Chaudhry said the cross-border drone campaign was ongoing.
“As we speak, the process of India sending across these Harop drones, this naked aggression, continues and the armed forces are on a high degree of alert and neutralizing them,” he added.
He described the situation as a “serious provocation,” urging the international community to note that India was escalating the conflict “in a highly charged environment.”
Earlier in the day, police reported a civilian casualty in the southern Sindh province, also confirmed by Chaudhry, when a drone crashed in Sarfaraz Leghari village, located in Ghotki district.
“This morning, a drone fell over two villagers... killing one man and injuring another,” Senior Superintendent of Police Dr. Samiullah Soomro told Arab News over the phone, saying more details would be confirmed following a visit to the site.
Eyewitnesses in Ghotki said the drone entered from the Indian side last night and hovered over the village before it was hit by Pakistani forces this morning, following which it crashed near a canal where the men were working.
“My brother Mukhtiar Ahmed, who was only 25, was martyred,” Jabbar Laghari, a local schoolteacher, said. “He leaves behind three children. My father was also injured.”
The military spokesperson said the drones were sent to cities like Lahore, Gujrawalla, Chakwal, Rawalpindi, Attock, Bahawalpur and areas near Karachi.
Pakistan’s air defense system shot down these drones and circulated pictures of their wreckage.
Pakistani and Indian NSAs established contact after New Delhi’s missile strike — Ishaq Dar
- The Pakistani deputy PM tells a foreign news outlet India’s actions are ‘not condonable’
- He does not disclose what the NSAs discussed, but Pakistan has vowed to avenge the attack
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Indian national security advisers established contact after New Delhi’s missile strikes on Pakistan killed at least 31 people, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday, marking a rare official communication between the nuclear-armed rivals.
India said it launched the strikes targeting what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistan following a deadly assault on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, which it blamed on Pakistan despite Islamabad’s denials.
Pakistan said it shot down five Indian fighter jets and destroyed several border posts in the military clash that followed. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the Indian missile attacks a “grave mistake” and warned that New Delhi “will have to face consequences.”
In an interview with TRT World, the Pakistani deputy premier said India had done something that “is not condonable.”
“[Dar] confirmed that both a Pakistani national security adviser and Indian national security adviser spoke to each other after last night’s Indian missile strikes in Pakistan, as well as Pakistani-administered Kashmir and then Pakistan’s response, in which Pakistan said that five Indian fighter jets were shot down,” a TRT correspondent in Islamabad reported after the interview.
“However, he did not provide further details, but some people interpret that given the fact that now both sides have established contacts at the level of national security advisers, this means that some form of effort is underway to de-escalate tensions,” he added.
Pakistan recently named Lt. Gen. Muhammad Asim Malik, the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), as its National Security Adviser, while his Indian counterpart is Ajit Doval.
The two countries have rarely maintained high-level official contacts in recent years. Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties after India revoked the special constitutional status of the disputed Kashmir region in 2019 to integrate it with the rest of the Indian union.
The rivals, who have fought multiple wars over the Himalayan region they both claim in full but control in parts, also expelled each other’s diplomats following the recent Pahalgam attack.
It is not clear what the two NSAs discussed during their call, but Pakistan has vowed to retaliate after the missile strikes.
Pakistan sets up Hajj flight helpline as India-Pakistan tensions disrupt air travel
- Government has temporarily suspended flight operations at Karachi, Lahore and Sialkot airports
- Local Pakistani media has reported blasts in Lahore, attributing them to suspected drone attacks
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry has launched a 24-hour helpline to assist Hajj pilgrims seeking updates on flight schedules, an official statement said on Thursday, as the country faces widespread air travel disruptions linked to escalating military tensions with India.
The measures follow a sharp military escalation between Pakistan and India in the early hours of Wednesday after Indian missile strikes killed at least 31 civilians in Pakistani territory.
Pakistan’s military responded by downing five Indian fighter jets, while Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suspended all flights for 12 hours and several Asian carriers rerouted flights to avoid the region’s airspace.
“The help desk will operate 24 hours a day in two shifts,” the statement said while sharing the telephone numbers. “Hajj pilgrims can obtain information regarding their flights.”
Pakistan also announced it had temporarily suspended flight operations at Karachi, Lahore, and Sialkot airports, citing “national security” concerns.
Pakistan’s Geo News reported blasts in the eastern border city of Lahore, attributing them to suspected drone attacks, though police were still investigating the nature of the explosions.
Tensions continue to remain high between the two South Asian nuclear rivals, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described India’s missile attacks as a “grave mistake” in a speech on Wednesday night, saying New Delhi “will have to face consequences.”
The Indian army also said on Thursday the two neighboring states exchanged small arms and artillery fire overnight along their de facto border in the disputed Kashmir region split between the two countries.
Trump tells India and Pakistan to ‘stop’ clashes
- The US president initially played down the crisis as part of old tensions between India and Pakistan
- His administration has scrambled into action in the last 24 hours since the Indian strikes in Pakistan
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump called Wednesday for India and Pakistan to immediately halt their fighting, and offered to help end the worst violence between the nuclear-armed countries in two decades.
“It’s so terrible,” Trump said at the White House. “I get along with both, I know both very well, and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop.
“They’ve gone tit-for-tat, so hopefully they can stop now.”
Trump’s comments came as India and Pakistan exchanged heavy artillery fire along their contested frontier, after New Delhi launched deadly missile strikes on its arch-rival.
At least 31 deaths were reported in the fighting, which came two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir, which Pakistan denied.
Pakistan has long been a key US military ally but Trump has been keen to build up relations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he hosted at the White House in February.
“We get along with both countries very well, good relationships with both, and I want to see it stop,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
“And if I can do anything to help, I will be there.”
Trump initially played down the crisis as part of old tensions between India and Pakistan — even saying they had been at odds for 1,500 years, despite the two countries only forming after independence from Britain in 1947.
But his administration has scrambled into action in the last 24 hours since the Indian strikes.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to his counterparts from India and Pakistan on Friday, encouraging them to reopen dialogue to “defuse” the situation, the White House said.
