In Focus
Militant outfits expand “outreach and influence” in KP and Balochistan: PIPS

On 5 November, the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) which is an Islamabad-based think tank, released its monthly security report for October 2024. On the same day in a press release, the think tank provided statistics for terror incidents in the country that reflect an “expansion of militant outreach and influence, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.” As per the data released by PIPS, a total of 48 terrorist attacks took place in October 2024 across the country as compared to 43 in September. These attacks were spread across 28 districts in four provinces. This resulted in a total of 100 deaths and 80 injuries. This is an increase from 54 deaths in the previous month. Out of the 100, the majority (52) of those killed were security and law enforcement personnel, followed by 36 civilians and only 12 militants.

KP witnessed the majority of these attacks with 35 terror incidents. This resulted in 64 deaths out of which 49 were security personnel. Balochistan witnessed nine terror incidents resulting in 30 deaths as compared to 19 in September. The statement attributed this geographical concentration of attacks to an attempt by the militant groups to “destabilize areas where they may enjoy greater operational freedom due to geographical or socio-political factors.”

Relatively, both Punjab and Sindh witnessed fewer attacks with two incidents each. However, the statement pointed out that these attacks were “significant occurrences of terrorist violence.” Referencing the recent suicide attack by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on Chinese nationals, the statement argued that this was an attempt by the militant group to target “key economic partnerships.” Further, the statement also revealed and cautioned that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is looking to expand its reach into “Balochistan’s Pashtun belt and into Punjab, particularly in districts bordering KP like Mianwali.” These attempts by the BLA and the TTP signal intent “to broaden their influence beyond traditional strongholds” and “a strategic push to extend their influence.”

The upsurge in terror incidents has also led to an intensification of counter-terrorism efforts. Security forces and provincial counter-terrorism departments (CTDs) of the police carried out around 24 anti-militant operations in Pakistan in October as compared to just six in September. 14 of these operations were conducted in KP alone followed by seven in Balochistan, two in Punjab and one in Sindh. As a result, around 84 militants spread across 15 districts were killed. This, however, also reflects a geographical expansion of terror incidents.

Reference
“Militants expanding their operational outreach across the country,” PIPS, 5 November 2024