Pakistan records massive drop in terror attacks, though threats remain

A tally by Pakistani think tanks found attacks had plummeted from nearly 2,000 to fewer than 250 over the last decade

But an international watchdog has warned that the country is not doing enough to stop terror financing

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A Pakistani man carrying a child rushes away from the site of a blast shortly after a car bomb exploded in Peshawar in 2013. Photo: AP

Published: 7:00pm, 30 Jan 2020Updated: 11:19pm, 30 Jan 2020

Terror attacks in Pakistan plummeted by more than 85 per cent over the last decade – a welcome statistic for the country, but one that risks being overshadowed by international concern over its efforts to curb terror funding and lingering militant activity that could test any future peace agreement in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The tally, put together by Pakistani think tanks, found terror attacks dropped from nearly 2,000 in 2009 to fewer than 250 in 2019, a steady decline that underscores the long-haul nature of fighting terror.

But a Paris-based international watchdog said in October that Pakistan was not doing enough to stop terror financing. The group meets next month to decide whether the country should be downgraded from a “grey” status to “black,” alongside Iran and North Korea, a step that could pose a challenge to Pakistan’s economy.

Pakistan’s militant groups are often interlinked with those across the border in Afghanistan, so its progress at reining in terror is critical, particularly as Washington seeks to secure a deal with the Afghan Taliban to bring an end to the 18-year war, America’s longest military engagement.

Women walk past a banner that shows photos of victims of a 2014 attack on a Peshawar school. Photo: AP

“The sharp decrease in terrorist violence, which we began to see in 2014, is nothing short of remarkable,” said Michael Kugelman, Asia Programme Deputy Director at the Washington-based Wilson Centre. But, he cautioned, “Pakistan is certainly not out of the woods yet.”

Pakistan records massive drop in terror attacks, though threats remain

A tally by Pakistani think tanks found attacks had plummeted from nearly 2,000 to fewer than 250 over the last decade But an international watchdog has warned that the country is not doing enough to stop terror financing

A tally by Pakistani think tanks found attacks had plummeted from nearly 2,000 to fewer than 250 over the last decade

But an international watchdog has warned that the country is not doing enough to stop terror financing