ISLAMABAD 2024 proved to be the bloodiest year for Pakistan’s military and civil security forces in ten years, with at least 685 security forces members killed in 444 terror acts.
The combined deaths of civilians and security forces were equally concerning: 1,612 deaths, which accounted for more than 63 percent of the total this year and represented 73 percent greater losses than the 934 outlaws killed.
The total number of deaths this year was over 66 percent more than in 2023 and a record 9-year high. Compared to all other months of the year, November was the deadliest month, with an average of over seven fatalities each day.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) suffered the most from the violence, accounting for 1616 of the total number of fatalities, followed by Balochistan (782).
These are the main conclusions of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) Annual Security Report 2024.
A think-tank analysis claims that in 2024, there were 2267 injuries and 2546 violence-related deaths in the nation among outlaws, security guards, and citizens. With 1166 terror incidents and counterterrorism operations responsible for these deaths, the year was bleak for the nation’s security situation.
These numbers indicate a more than 66 percent increase in violence (2546 vs 1533 fatalities), more than 55 percent more injuries (2267 versus 1462), and almost 49 percent more occurrences (1166 versus 784) than the previous year.
Impact on a regional level
KP and Balochistan were responsible for 89 percent of all events and 94 percent of all fatalities nationwide.
Although KP had the biggest number of fatalities (more than 63 percent) this year, followed by Balochistan (31 percent), the latter province had the highest increase in violence compared to last year (90 percent), followed by the former (65 percent).
Compared to all other months of the year, November saw the most attacks (125), fatalities (450), and injuries (625), making it the deadliest month by all measures.
The number of fatalities this year is the greatest since 2015 (4366) and surpasses the 2016 figure (2432).
Additionally, data gathered over the past ten years indicates a steep decline in deaths from 2015 to 2020, with an average annual decline of almost 33 percent. In Pakistan’s security situation, this six-year downward trend—which was really encouraging—was followed by a revival in 2021. This is demonstrated by the fact that, on average, since 2021, the country’s violence has increased by 38 percent in 2021, 15 percent in 2022, 56 percent in 2023, and 66 percent in 2024, or nearly 44 percent annually, according to the report.
The newly combined districts of KP that border Afghanistan, like as Kurram, North Waziristan, and Khyber, had the highest number of violent and counter-violence-related fatalities. Other districts in KP that had notable fatalities were Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, and Lakki Marwat. The districts of Quetta, Kech, Kalat, and Musakhail in Balochistan came after these.
Furthermore, the number of deaths in 2024 alone in these most severely afflicted districts of Balochistan was almost equivalent to the sum of the deaths in the three years prior (2021–2023), and the same pattern was seen in KP’s most severely impacted districts.
