Islamabad: Militant attacks in the country have dropped to six years low, after one year of operation Zarb-e-Azb. This was revealed by Islamabad based Think Tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), which monitors militant activities in South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia.
Before start of Zarb-e-Azb, PICSS recorded average militant attacks gone up to historic high of 154 attacks per month, which has now dropped more than 50 percent to 71 attacks per month. PICSS claims that the average of militant attacks after one year of Zarb-e-Azb is lowest since 2008. Operation Zarb-e-Azb not only improved overall security situation in the country, but it also caused serious dents to the unity of TTP. TTP splinted into at least three major factions.
Before Zarb-e-Azb average militant attacks per month in KPK province was 49 which saw 75 percent decline to 12 attacks per month in first five and half months of 2015. Before Zarb-e-Azb highest number of militant attacks was being recorded from KPK. In FATA average militant attacks before Zarb-e-Azb were 31 which have now dropped to 16 attacks per month.
To support Zarb-e-Azb and control blow back in major cities, security forces had launched Intelligence Based Operations (IBOs) across the country. These operations helped in limiting the blow back though
militants managed to carry out some high profile attacks in Peshawar, Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Shikarpur. Karachi has also seen remarkable reduction in anti-state violence (apart from violence perpetrated by militant wings of political parties) emanating from groups like TTP, Al-Qaeda and their local affiliates.
Prior to Zarb-e-Azb the average was 25 attacks per month which has dropped to 9 after 64 percent decline. Security Forces have gunned down some key commanders of Al-Qaeda in South Asia, TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi recently in the city.
Punjab witness a decline in overall number of militant attacks, but the province was seen major target of high profile attacks as militants carried out Wahga Border, Two Churches in Lahore and Imam Bargahs in
Rawalpindi besides targeted killing of some prominent leaders of a Sunni Sectarian group.
Despite consistent decline in militant attacks during last one year, PICSS has noticed an upward trend in militant attacks in May and first fifteen days of June 2015. There are strong indicators that militants
have been trying to regroup and some regional players are suspected to be behind the escalation of militant attacks in Pakistan.