The month of May witnessed a decline in human losses in militant attacks in Pakistan, says a monthly report issued by Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
The report says that the security situation has improved as no high-profile attack was reported during the period and no militant activity was reported in Punjab.
An earlier report observed that the militant acts declined in April as compared to March. A search conducted in May, however, saw a slight increase despite the militants were not able to make any high profile attack in the country.
According to statistics released by PICSS, 49 people were killed in 44 militant attacks. These include the casualties of 24 security forces personnel, two volunteers and 11 civilians. As many as 11 militants were also killed in these militant activities. A total of 116 people were injured in these incidents, including 42 security forces personnel and 74 civilians.
Balochistan once again was the centre of target with 15 militant attacks. 19 people were killed in these attacks. These attacks included two grenade attacks, seven Improvised Explosive Device (IEDs) attacks, two kidnappings, three militant assaults and one incident of targeted killing.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) stands second with 14 incidents of militant activities, including one grenade attack, four IEDs, two militant assaults, one suicide attack and six incidents of targeted killing. Federally Administered Tribal Areas witnessed slight decline in militant activities with eight incidents of militant activities. The attacks included one grenade attack, four IEDs, two militant assaults and one incident of targeted killing.
Sindh stands third with seven militant activities, including one cracker attack, three IEDs and three incidents of targeted killing.
No militant activity was recorded by the think tank in Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan.
In a KP’s suicide attack, 12 people were seriously injured when a suicide bomber targeted a police van in Mardan, the report says.
In Sindh and Balochistan, a Chinese engineer was targeted in Karachi with an IED while a vehicle of Baloch Constabulary was also hit by an IED in Quetta. Civil society activist and scholar Syed Khurram Zaki was shot dead in a sectarian attack by gunmen in Karachi.
The report claims that the security forces carried out 78 actions against various militant factions in May. They made 178 arrests in these actions while 47 militants were killed.
A cross-border attack in Mohmand Agency was countered by the security forces in which four militants were killed. The militants tried to enter Pakistan through the Afghan border with a large number of ammunition.
Six agents of National Directorate of Security, an Afghan intelligence, were also arrested. These paid detectives were involved in creating violence among masses through bomb blasts.
The report also says that the Counter Terrorism Department and intelligence agency, in a joint operation, killed six al Qaeda terrorists, including their commander.
PICSS is an Islamabad based think-tank that documents the anti-state violent activities.