In the last five years, 2011-2016, the number of victims of terrorism is reported to be 804 in Punjab. These fatalities include civilians (530), security forces personnel (89), militants (62) and terrorists (123) respectively. The overall terror related civilian death toll in Pakistan during the period remained at 11,684 whereas 3,133 security personnel lost their lives during various terror incidents across the country. Statistically, Punjab has negligible portion in the total terror fatalities but, unfortunately, with the advent of the operation arb-e-Azb nd National Action Plan (NAP) this percentage is increasing annually. The data suggests that Punjab added nearly eight percent to overall civilian fatalities in 2014, whereas in 2015 the figure crossed the ten percent mark. During the current year Punjab has contributed, approximately, 35 of the total civilian casualties in the country. This clearly indicates that the terror battlefield is slowly shifting towards Punjab.
An increasing number of suicide attacks has also been observed during the last three years (2013-2016) in the province. In 2013, a suicide attack took place outside an mambargah ear the airport in the Rawalpindi district, killing five persons and injuring 13 religious activists. Whereas, four incidents of suicide bombing occurred in 2014 wherein 83 persons lost their lives and 186 were critically wounded. These terror tragedies took place in Rawalpindi, Khanewal and Capital City, district Lahore respectively. The most brutal terror attack was conducted at the Wahga International Border on November 02, 2014 wherein 62 spectators — who were there to see the Pakistan-India parade at the Wagah-Attari border — lost their lives, and nearly 150 were injured. The year 2015 was even worse than the preceding year, and it witnessed eight incidents of suicide attacks in the province, including one at the Shadi Khan, district Attock, wherein the then home minister of Punjab, olonel Retd.) Shuja Khanzada was killed at a meeting in his hometown. These suicide attacks resulted into killings of 79 persons and injuring another 197.
During the current year, so far, 75 persons have lost their lives, and more than 300 have been injured on March 27 at the Allama Iqbal Town, Lahore, when a suicide bomb ripped through the parking space in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park where Christians were celebrating Easter. Apart from that, fatalities related to sectarian violence are also on the rise with a total number of 23 in 2014, 37 in 2015 and nine in the current year so far.
Among the selection of targets for suicide attacks nearly 66 percent of these atrocities are directed against religious and public places, followed by offices of law enforcement agencies and private abodes of important public figures. For the last three years, handlers of suicide attackers have, overwhelmingly, earmarked public places as their primary targets. This shift, ominously, will continue in future as well, and more public places will come under attack during terror related incidents in the province. There are multiple reasons for the choice of such targets. First, terrorists can achieve their objective of terrorising the public through perpetrating an attack at a public place. Normally, whenever a suicide attack occurs at a public spot the terror related fatalities are abnormally high. Second, the suicide attacker faces least resistance while conducting and operation at a public place owing to minimum security measures and existing loopholes in safeguarding mechanisms. Third, detection and checking of a suspicious person at any place of public congregation during high rush hour is extremely difficult, and a suicide attacker can easily slip through human assemblage without any problem. Fourth, the law enforcement agencies have employed effective protective measures for their establishments, and therefore, terror operators are selecting public places for maximising their achievement. Lastly, such an act at a public place puts pressure on government to take extreme measures for security and safety of citizens, often resulting in losing psychological warfare against terrorism. A sophisticated security force with a proactive approach is required to retard the onslaught of anti-state elements in the province.
Interestingly, Counter Terrorism Force (CTF) was launched in Punjab in 2014 to target terrorists in the province. Comprising nearly 1,500 personnel, the CTF has been distributed in different regions and districts of Punjab. The CTF is now registering cases in their police stations along with conducting investigations. Apart from that, the CTF is also collecting intelligence specifically focusing on sectarian and banned organisations and their leaders. Scores of police encounters have resulted into killings of banned groups members and wanted sectarian terrorists in the province. An important incident occurred in July 2015 when Malik Ishaq, he Lashkar-e-Jhangvi hief, along with his two sons was killed in a shootout in the outskirts of district Muzaffargarh. A rapid action operational plan has since been continuing against sectarian elements and their facilitators. Nonetheless, no effective action has so far been initiated against terror financers, and that remains a gray area in the operational working of the CTF. Moreover, sharing intelligence with other agencies still plagues efficiency of newly established organisations in the country.
With more than 100 million population of the province, the strategy of sweeping areas in the jurisdictions of different police stations in each district has produced positive results in the beginning. However, with the passage of time, as the element of surprise is compromised and operational focus is shifted to numbers, these tactics have lost their usefulness. Similarly, arrests of hundreds of persons on account of illegal tenancy have not been productive in apprehending any major terror operator. The intelligence-based operations are few and far between. Unless we upgrade intelligence collection mechanism of the CTF, overhaul force structure through regular training mechanism and improve information sharing techniques, we will not be able to reduce terror tragedies in the province.
The writer is a senior superintendent of police