As many as 43 people were killed and 63 injured in 17 incidents of political violence from March 9 to 15 across the country, showing a sharp decrease as compared with preceding week’s casualties – 106 killed and 156 injured in 27 incidents, says the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).
Region-wise Sindh was the most volatile with 18 people killed and 14 injured, followed by FATA (15 killed, two injured), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (7 killed, 47 injured) and Balochistan (three killed).
This week, five districts and two tribal agencies were hit by political violence compared with seven districts and a tribal agency in the preceding week.
Karachi was the only Sindh district reporting 10 political violence incidents that killed 18 people, including a female NGO worker and four policemen with 14 others injured. Of these incidents, seven were aimed at public while three targeted security forces.
Peshawar was the second most violent district where five people were killed and 29 injured in a bomb blast inside a mosque. Two more people were killed and 18 injured, including two policemen in another bomb blast near a police vehicle in Bannu.
In Khyber Agency, 12 militants were killed by jet bombing and a landmine explosion killed three military personnel and injured two others.
A district election commissioner was shot dead in Quetta and two settlers were gunned down in Gwadar. Terrorism affected most people during the reporting week, leaving 23 people dead and 63 injured in 10 incidents – six in Karachi and one each in Bannu, Quetta Orakzai Agency and Peshawar.
In an incident of religious violence, arsonists burnt 125 Christian homes in Lahore over alleged charges of blasphemy against a resident. No loss of life was reported in the attack.