Web Desk: Combat-related fatalities across Pakistan fell by 35 percent in March, according to new data released by a prominent think tank. The Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) linked this sharp decline to the cross-border military strikes of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq.
The report revealed that 331 people died in March, a substantial drop from the 506 deaths recorded in February. Civilian fatalities saw the most dramatic improvement, plummeting 70 percent from 132 to 39. Furthermore, security force deaths declined by 26 percent, while militant fatalities fell by 22 percent.
PICSS attributed this trend to the disruption of terrorist networks. The military launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in late February to target Fitna al Khawarij and other groups in Afghanistan. Consequently, the lethality of attacks decreased even as the total number of incidents rose from 83 to 146.
In response to the military operations, an alliance of groups including Fitna al Khawarij, Jamaatul Ahrar, and Ittihadul Mujahideen announced an escalation in terrorist activity. Despite this surge, the think tank noted that the overall human impact remained limited. Notably, suicide attacks dropped from five in February to just one in March.
The data also showed a 37 percent decrease in overall injuries. While civilian injuries improved by 62 percent, militant injuries rose significantly by 138 percent. Additionally, security forces arrested 41 suspected terrorists during the month to further degrade enemy capacity.
Balochistan remained the most volatile region, recording 189 deaths. However, this figure still represented a 34 percent decline compared to the previous month. In the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, fatalities dropped 42 percent to 55.
Meanwhile, mainland Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw 83 deaths, a figure largely unchanged from February. Punjab and Sindh reported no terrorist activity in March, though security forces killed four terrorists in Punjab and arrested eight suspects in Sindh. In Gilgit-Baltistan, troops successfully thwarted an attempted attack on a check post near the Diamer-Bhasha Dam without casualties.
Despite the monthly improvement, PICSS warned that Pakistan has seen an annual rise in terrorism-related deaths for the sixth consecutive year. While the recent military strikes have disrupted immediate capacity, the think tank highlighted the persistent nature of the threat across the country’s western borders.
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