Overview
A total of 197 terrorist attacks were reported across Pakistan in the month of May–one less than previous month–which claimed the lives of 242 people, representing an increase of over 32 percent compared to previous month, besides injuring 827 others.

Out of the total, as many as 119 attacks were carried out by the TTP, local Taliban and other militant groups that claimed the lives of 190 people and injured 715 others. Meanwhile the nationalist insurgent groups in Balochistan perpetrated 69 terrorist attacks causing the death of 42 people and inflicting injuries on 89 others. Another 10 people lost their lives and 23 were injured in nine reported sectarian-related attacks. (See Chart 1a)
As in previous month, attacks on political leaders and workers, and election candidates, offices, rallies and polling station were dominant features of insecurity and violence in Pakistan during the elections-month of May 2013. As many as 87 such attacks were reported across Pakistan during the month, almost half of these concentrated in Balochistan alone, which killed 95 people and wounded 342 others. These attacks were largely perpetrated by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and different Baloch insurgent groups.

The incidents of ethno-political violence also increased significantly during the month under review. As many as 50 incidents of political violence and armed clashes between supporters and workers of political parties were reported across Pakistan, an increase of 138 percent compared to previous month, which claimed the lives of 59 and injured 130 people.

Maximum number of terrorist attacks for any region of Pakistan were reported from Balochistan (80) followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (49), Sindh (33), FATA (26), and Punjab (8). (See Chart 1) However, maximum number of casualties in terrorist attacks was reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 75 people killed and 289 injured in such attacks followed by Balochistan (65 killed, 243 injured), FATA (64 killed, 166 injured), Sindh (33 killed, 113 injured), and Punjab (4 killed, 15 injured).

Apart from political leaders and workers and other 2013 elections-related targets, militants hit hard security forces, their convoys and check posts; 34 reported terrorist attacks across Pakistan were targeted against security forces. Other important targets of the terrorists during the month were civilians, state installations, private property, NATO supply vehicles and sectarian/religious targets.

Chart 1: Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan in May 2013

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

Chart 1a: Classification of Terrorist Attacks by Perpetrators

As mentioned earlier, as many as 87 terrorist attacks in the month of May hit political leaders, workers and elections-related targets, compared to 56 such attacks in April. A regional distribution of these attacks and targets is given in the table below.

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 514 and those of injured at 1,027 in a total of 285 reported incidents of violence of different types. (See Table 2)

Three incidents of inter-militant clashes were reported during the month, two from Khyber Agency and one from Karachi. Four incidents of cross-border attacks on Pakistan-Afghanistan and Pakistan-India borders injured six personnel of Pakistani security forces. One drone strike in Pakistan’s tribal areas claimed the lives of six people besides injuring four others. A TTP commander Wali-ur-Rehman was reportedly also among those killed in the strike.

Security forces launched as many as nine operational attacks against militants in Khyber, Kurram and Orakzai agencies of FATA, and Upper Dir in KP and also entered into 11 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 reveals an upward trend in the number of incidents of violence and consequent casualties. (See Chart 2)

Chart 2: Comparison with Last Three Months’ Figure

As in previous month, civilians faced the highest number of casualties compared to militants and security forces with 260 dead and 816 injured. As many as 198 militants and 56 personnel of security forces were also killed during the month. (See Chart 3, Table 2a)

Chart 3: Detail of Overall Casualties

Table 2a: Distribution of Security Forces’ Casualties Security Forces Killed Injured FC 15 38 Police 16 58 Paramilitary 2 7 Army 19 52 Levies 2 3 Rangers 2 8 Total 56 166

Firing or direct shootout and bomb blasts were the most frequently used tactic by militants to hit their targets with 63 and 56 reported attacks, respectively. Militants used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in 22 attacks, which indicated a decreasing use of this particular attack tactic compared to past several months. (See Table 3)