By Girish Linganna
As recently as on Tuesday, (December 12, 2023), fighters stormed a military outpost in northwestern Pakistan as they opened fire and rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the army base in the town of Daraban, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Dera Ismail Khan city, in the restive province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, located at the edge of the lawless tribal regions that fringe Afghanistan. At least 23 people were killed in the gun-and-suicide bomb attack, the Pakistani military said in a statement
On Saturday, (December 2, 2023), a transport bus came under attack from a group of attackers near Chilas town in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan, which is an autonomous region in the country’s north near Pakistan’s border with China. The bus, which was carrying 45 civilian passengers down the Karakoram Highway connecting Pakistan with China through the Karakoram Mountain Range, was hit by armed men and 10 of the passengers died. Many of them survived multiple bullet wounds.
In 2023, Pakistan experienced a notable escalation in violence, as reported by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies. The country saw almost a 70% increase in the number of attacks—a nearly 81% rise in the number of deaths from these incidents, and a 62% uptick in the number of those injured.
Data published on Monday (January 1, 2024), revealed that Pakistan faced around 645 militant attacks in 2023, resulting in 976 fatalities and 1,354 injuries. This equates to roughly one attack every 14 hours throughout the year. In 2022, there were 380 attacks recorded, leading to 539 deaths and 836 injuries.
In 2023, there was an approximately 70% surge in fatal militant attacks compared to those in previous years, marking it as the most deadly in over half a decade. This increase in violence has persisted since the Taliban assumed control in neighbouring Afghanistan.
The Islamabad-based think tank, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, stated that the number of casualties and injuries could have been higher if Pakistan’s security forces had not successfully thwarted hundreds of attacks and attempts over the year.
The majority of the attacks were attributed to the Pakistani Taliban, an organization sharing the same ideology, but differing in structure from their counterparts in Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban, officially known as Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is an Islamic fundamentalist militant group primarily active in the northwestern tribal areas of Pakistan. Formed in 2007, it comprises various militant factions united under the ideology of establishing Sharia law in Pakistan.
The TTP is known for its opposition to the Pakistani government and has been involved in numerous high-profile terrorist attacks within Pakistan, including on civilians, the military and political figures. While sharing a common ideology with the Afghan Taliban, such as strict Islamic governance, the TTP operates independently, with distinct leadership and objectives focused on Pakistan rather than Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s legal system is a combination of Islamic law (Sharia) and British-influenced civil law. While certain aspects of the Sharia are incorporated into Pakistan’s legal framework—particularly in family law—it is not the sole basis for the country’s legal system. The Constitution of Pakistan lays the foundation for parliamentary democracy with Islamic provisions. Islamic law influences some personal and moral conduct laws, but the nation’s criminal and civil laws are primarily derived from the British legal system—a remnant of the colonial era. Thus, Pakistan’s legal system is a hybrid of both Islamic and secular laws.
Pakistan claims that the group conducts attacks from the supposed safe havens located along the Afghanistan border region. However, Kabul denies these allegations. Since the Afghan Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, there has been an increase in violent activities by Islamist militants in Pakistan.
Pakistan, an Islamic republic possessing nuclear arms and a population exceeding 240 million, collaborates with China in its global market expansion endeavours—both overland and maritime—as part of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’. The recent instability is partly viewed as a response to Chinese investments in Balochistan, the southwestern province of Pakistan, where nationalist insurgents are opposing the government.
This opposition by the nationalist insurgents in Balochistan springs from their long-standing grievances over the distribution of resources and political marginalization. Balochistan, although it is resources-rich—particularly in minerals and natural gas—is one of Pakistan’s least developed provinces. The local population feels that they have not adequately benefited from these resources or the Chinese investments, which are part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Instead, they perceive that the profits are disproportionately favouring the other regions of Pakistan, and China. This has fuelled a sense of economic exploitation and political neglect among the Baloch people, leading to insurgent groups seeking greater autonomy or independence.
According to predictions made by a security analyst based in the northwestern city, there is an anticipation of an increase in deadly attacks as the country approaches its elections next month. (IPA)
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