Over 300 killed amid rising insecurity in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistani media reported that in the current year, 337 military and civilian personnel have been killed in terrorist attacks in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, with hundreds more injured.

On Monday, September 30, Express Tribune Pakistan reported that extortion and kidnappings have also increased in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to rising insecurity.

The report mentioned that security forces’ operations in Tank, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, and North and South Waziristan have been limited to their security bases.

According to the Pakistani media, in recent months, attacks on money transfer vehicles, kidnappings for ransom, assaults on international aid workers, targeted killings of police officers, and abductions of government and private sector employees have become “routine.”

Meanwhile, armed attacks have increased in recent months across various regions of Pakistan, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Reports indicate that the rise in terrorist attacks and kidnappings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has led to economic stagnation and the withdrawal of both domestic and foreign investments from the province.

Recently, Pakistani officials announced that suspected militants in two separate attacks in Balochistan have killed at least seven workers and kidnapped 20 others.

Earlier, the Pakistan Security Research Center had reported that nearly 1,000 military and civilian personnel were killed in “terrorist” attacks across the country in 2023.

Overall, Pakistan faced 586 “terrorist attacks” in 2023, 17 per cent of which were carried out by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and ISIS-Khorasan.

The growing wave of terrorism, kidnappings, and insecurity in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, continues to pose severe challenges to the country’s stability.

The resulting economic downturn and withdrawal of investments highlight the broader impact of these violent incidents on Pakistan’s future. Addressing these security concerns is vital for restoring normalcy and encouraging economic growth.

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