Suicide bombings in Pakistan drop by 35%, but killings up by 1 % in 2010

LAHORE: The year 2010 has proven to be the bloodiest for the people of
Pakistan since 2001 as the unending spate of lethal suicide bombings
in almost every nook and corner of the country has killed 1224
innocent Pakistanis and injured 2157 others in 52 gory attacks between
January 1 and December 23, 2010.

Even though the suicide attacks have gone down to 35 percent this year
as against the last year, 2010 still remained the bloodiest one in
terms of the number of the people killed by human bombs across
Pakistan in a single year since the 9/11 terror attacks in the US and
the subsequent decision by the Musharraf regime to join hands with
Washington in the war against terror. The people of Pakistan had to
bear a record number of 80 suicide attacks in 2009, killing 1217
persons and injuring 2305 others, compared with 52 such assaults in
2010 so far – 28 less – compared with those of the last year, thereby
showing a 35 percent decrease in suicide hits this year.

On average, the fanatic human bombs killed 102 persons a month in
2010, compared with the last year’s average of 101 killings a month,
hence showing a one percent increase in casualties. Similarly, the
bombers, on average, killed more than 23 Pakistanis every week and
over three persons every day in 2010. On average, more than four
suicide attacks were carried out every month in 2010, compared with
six assaults every month by human bombs in 2009. Of the 1224
Pakistanis who lost their lives in suicide hits in 2010, the number of
civilian casualties stood at 605, as against 863 civilians killed
during last year, thereby showing 258 less casualties in 2010.
However, the civilian casualties in 2010 still remained 49 percent of
the total deaths caused by the suicide bombings this year.

Of the remaining 619 martyrs who lost their lives in suicide attacks
this year, 169 belonged to the security forces and the law enforcement
agencies. Of them, 62 were policemen, 48 belonged to the armed forces
of Pakistan, 26 were the Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel, 12
belonged to the Rangers, nine were the staffers of the Inter Services
Intelligence and 12 others belonged to the Khasadar Force. Hence, the
casualties suffered by the law enforcement agencies in the 2010
suicide attacks remain 14 percent of the total deaths – 1224. Of the
remaining 436 Pakistanis killed by the human bombs this year, 151 (or
12 percent of the total killed) were Shia Muslims, 103 (or 8 percent
of the total casualties) were Ahmedis or Qadianis while 81 ((or 6
percent of the total killed) were Barelvi Muslims. Those killed this
year in suicide bombings this year also included 62 activists of the
Awami National Party, 22 activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, 12
activists each of the Lashkar-e-Islami and Ansar-ul-Islam, three
American soldiers and two Pakistani journalists.

Of the 1224 persons who lost their lives in suicide hits this year
across Pakistan, the largest number – 416 – were killed in the Khyber
Pakhtunkhawa province in 25 attacks – (34 percent of the total dead).
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) suffered 12 suicide
attacks, killing 381 persons (31 percent of the total killed). In the
Punjab province, the number of those killed was 312 (25 percent of the
total dead). Similarly, four incidents of suicide bombings killed 81
persons in the Balochistan province (7 percent of the total
casualties). Two suicide attacks killed 28 persons in the Sindh
province (2 percent of the total dead) while in Azad Kashmir, six
persons were killed in two incidents of suicide bombings.

According to the month-wise break-up of the suicide bombings and the
subsequent casualties in 2010, a total of 115 persons were killed in
seven attacks in January, 102 persons lost their lives in six
incidents in February, 157 more were killed in seven attacks in March,
another 155 persons lost their lives in six bombings in April, 118
persons were killed in three suicide hits in May while no such
incident took place in June 2010. In July, 165 Pakistanis were killed
in five attacks across Pakistan, 43 persons lost their lives in two
such incidents in August, 141 more were killed in five such attacks in
September, 25 persons were perished in two suicide hits in October, 96
more lost their lives in five more attacks in November while 101 more
have so far been killed in four such incidents in the first 23 days of
December 2010.

It was in the aftermath of the Operation Silence conducted against the
Lal Masjid clerics that a series of deadly suicide attacks rocked the
four provinces of Pakistan as well as Islamabad. The dangerous trend
touched alarming heights in 2007, averaging more than one attack a
week as the establishment gradually lost control of the jehadi
networks and their leaders which had allegedly been nurtured to
advance its geo-strategic agenda. Terrorism experts say Pakistan has
been turned into the suicide bombing capital of the world, especially
in the aftermath of the bloody Operation Silence conducted by the
Pakistan Army against the fanatic clerics of the Lal Masjid in the
heart of Islamabad, with the security forces, especially the Army and
the Police, frequently being targeted by human bombs, killing 2801
Pakistanis in 242 such incidents since July 2007.

Look at the casualty figures for the Pakistani security forces since
then: over 1200 members of the security forces and law enforcement
agencies had been killed in suicide bombings across Pakistan between
July 3, 2007 (the day the Lal Masjid operation was launched) and
December 23, 2009. As per the interior ministry records, the number of
suicide hits rose from 56 in 2007 to 66 in 2008, killing 965 people
during that year compared with the 837 people killed in 2007. The
people of Pakistan suffered 252 more deaths in suicide attacks next
year – 1217 persons in 2009. However, unfortunately enough, the year
2010 has broken all the previous records of terrorism since 9/11 in
terms of the death toll.

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