54 people lost their lives in acts of terrorism in Pakistan in April 2019

By PIPS Published On May 8, 2019

– Balochistan the worst affected region; North Waziristan once again emergency as a militancy hub: says PIPS monthly security report

Islamabad (PR) – In all, 23 terrorist attacks were reported from across Pakistan in April 2019, which killed 54 people – more than double than previous month – and wounded 97 others. Those 54 killed included 29 civilians, and 22 security officials, besides 3 militants.

In terms of casualties in terrorist attacks, Balochistan was the worst affected region of the country where 40 people were killed and 71 injured in terrorist attacks. This high number of casualties in the province was mainly caused by two major attacks targeting Hazara Shias in Quetta and security personnel in Ormara, near Gwadar.

Out of 15 reported attacks from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 9 concentrated in North Waziristan alone suggesting how the tribal district was once again becoming a flashpoint of violence and insecurity. As many as 14 people were killed and 26 injured in the reported attacks from KP.

In Sindh, a low-intensity cracker blast took place in Hyderabad that did not cause any casualty or damage to property.

Compared to 12 in the month before, as many as 9 cross-border attacks happened in Pakistan, all along the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). These attacks claimed 6 lives – 3 army soldiers and as many civilians – and wounded 15 others.

Security forces launched 3 anti-militant operational strikes in April – compared to 5 such actions in the month before – including two in Balochistan and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In all, these actions killed 13 alleged militants; 4 security personnel also lost their lives.

Also, security forces and law enforcement agencies conducted at least 16 major search operations in Pakistan in April 2019 and arrested 34 suspected and wanted terrorists.

When counted together, 39 incidents of violence of different types took place in Pakistan in April that claimed the lives of 80 people and injured 114 others.