Overview
As many as 198 terrorist attacks were reported across Pakistan in the month under review, representing an increase of over 30 percent as compared to previous month, which claimed the lives of 183 people besides injuring another 603. As in previous month, the increase in the number of terrorist attacks in April was mainly contributed by the heightened attacks by nationalist insurgents in Balochistan and by the Taliban militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi.

Attacks on political parties, and election candidates, offices, rallies and meetings were a dominant feature of insecurity and violence in Pakistan during the month of April. Such attacks were largely perpetrated by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA and Karachi and by Baloch insurgents in Balochistan. As many as 56 out of total reported attacks in Pakistan in the month hit such targets which killed 81 people and injured 348 others. On the whole political leaders and workers were targeted in a total of 77 violent incidents, including 56 terrorist attacks cited above and 21 incidents of political violence, which claimed the lives of 110 people besides injuring another 375.

Out of total 198 reported terrorist attacks across Pakistan, 10 were sectarian in nature that claimed the lives of 14 people and injured 45 others, representing a significant decline in sectarian violence as compared to previous month. Meanwhile the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups perpetrated 124 attacks across Pakistan, 20 percent more than in previous month, causing the death of 152 people and inflicting injuries on 465 others. Another 17 people lost their lives and 93 were injured in 64 attacks carried out by nationalist insurgents in Balochistan and Sindh, almost double compared to such attacks in previous month.

Maximum number of terrorist attacks (67) and casualties that resulted in these attacks (70 dead and 248 injured) was reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by Sindh, mainly Karachi, where 57 people were killed and 178 others injured in 45 reported attacks. The number of attacks in Balochistan also rose compared to previous month where 56 reported attacks killed 26 and injured another 121. Also, geographical spread of insurgents’ attacks in Balochistan widened to 20 districts during the reporting month compared to 18 in previous month. The security situation in FATA remained more or less the same as in previous month with 29 people killed and 54 injured in 27 reported attacks. Three attacks were also reported from Punjab. (See Chart 1)

Chart 1: Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan in April 2013

A classification of the overall reported terrorist attacks from Pakistan in the month of April based on their perpetrators is given in the chart below:  

Chart 1a: Classification of Terrorist Attacks by Perpetrators

As mentioned earlier, out of total reported terrorist attacks across Pakistan in April as many as 56 targeted political parties, their leaders/workers, and election candidates, offices and rallies. Region wise distribution of these attacks is given in the table below.

Apart from attacks on political parties, a total of 21 incidents of ethno-political violence were reported across Pakistan – 18 from Karachi, two from Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one from Jhal Magsi in Balochistan – that killed 29 people and injured 27 others.

When counted together in above mentioned terrorist attacks, operational attacks by the security forces and their clashes with the militants, incidents of ethno-political violence, inter-militant clashes, and cross-border attacks as well as drone strikes, the overall number of the people killed during the month stood at 404 and those of injured at 731 in a total of 253 reported incidents of violence of different types. (See Table 2)

No incident of inter-militant clashes was reported from Khyber Agency, which had witnessed a great number of such clashes and casualties over the past three months, however three such clashes were recorded in South Waziristan, Karachi and Khairpur that killed four militants.

One incident of cross-border attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas by the TTP militants sheltered in Afghanistan and two drone strikes were also recorded during the month under review.

Security forces launched as many as nine operational attacks against militants in Khyber, North Waziristan and Orakzai agencies of FATA and also entered into 17 armed clashes with the militants during the month in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, Balochistan and also Karachi. 

A comparison of this month’s security situation–using the variables of the number of overall attacks/clashes given in Table 2 and the resulting killings and injuries–with the last three month’s security landscape suggests that after a decline in February the number of incidents of violence is again on rise with the varying number of people killed and injured in these incidents. (See Chart 2) Compared to previous month, the number of overall incidents of violence increased in the reporting month. The number of fatalities fell but those of injured rose.

Chart 2: Comparison with Last Three Months’ Figure

This month it was civilians who faced the highest number of casualties compared to militants and security forces with 167 dead and 586 injured. As many as 156 militants and 81 personnel of security forces were also killed during the month. (See Chart 3, Table 2a)

Chart 3: Detail of Overall Casualties

As in past several months, firing or direct shootout and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were the most frequently used tactic by militants to hit their targets with 62 and 49 reported attacks, respectively. Five suicide blasts, 29 hand grenades blasts, and 16 bomb blasts were among the other foremost tactics used by the militants in this month. (See Table 3)