174 killed in 32 blasts across Pakistan during Jan-March 2016

At least 174 people were killed and 510 others injured in 32 bomb attacks across Pakistan during the first quarter of the current year 2016, according to official statistics.

According to the data, the bomb attacks include six of the suicide nature that killed 109 people and left 409 others wounded in different areas of the country during Jan-March 2016. Terrorists conducted two suicide attacks each in every month of the first quarter of the year.

During the three months, the number of suicide attacks remained the same as that in the same period of the previous year when six suicide blasts occurred in which 116 people were killed.

Despite the success the country has achieved in the fight against militants through military operation Zarb-e-Azb launched in 2014 in the country's northwestern tribal region of North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan, the terrorists are still resisting by attacking the soft targets.

According to the Inter Services Public Relations, the mouthpiece of Pakistan army, at least 3,400 militants have been killed and over 1,000 others arrested while 488 soldiers have embraced martyrdom so far in the military operation.

The successful military actions against terrorists have caused almost 50 percent plunge in the number of attacks, but only 12 percent drop in killings as compared to the same period last year.

In terms of the number of deaths, the third month of 2016 was the worst hit when 122 people lost their lives and 357 others sustained injuries in eight bomb attacks. The month of January was the second most affected that left 30 people killed and 98 others wounded in 15 attacks, followed by February when 22 people lost their lives and 55 others injured in nine explosions.

The worst attack of the period occurred on March 27, when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded public park in the country's eastern city of Lahore, killing at least 76 people including 29 kids and a large number of women and leaving 300 others injured.

The brutal attack, claimed by a fraction of Pakistani Taliban, drew a strong condemnation from home and abroad. International community, including the United States, China, Russia, India, Turkey, Canada and United Kingdom, strongly condemned the attack and sent condolences to Pakistan and prayed for the early recovery of the injured people.

At least 11 terrorists have been killed and over 700 suspects arrested in an extensive operation launched by security forces and police across Pakistan following the deadly suicide strike on March 27.

The second worst attack of the period occurred on March 7, when a teenage suicide bomber killed at least 18 people, including six women, two children and two policemen and injured 23 others at a court complex in Charsadda district of northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On Jan.13, at least 16 people, including 14 security personnel, were killed and 25 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a government health centre in Satellite town area of southwest provincial capital of Quetta.

The statistics revealed that terrorists carried out 32 bomb attacks at the same number of targets, killing 148 civilians as well as 13 personnel from security forces and 13 policemen.

Most of the bomb blasts were triggered with remote-controlled devices that were planted on the roadsides.

The majority of the attacks were not claimed by any group, however, Pakistani Taliban and its splinter groups claimed major blasts, especially the suicide attacks.

Source: XINHUA