Pakistan
Casualties
Casualties Overview
|
All known casualties by end 2016 |
4,342 (1,644 killed; 2,605 injured; 93 unknown) |
|
Casualties in 2016 |
161 (2015: 132) |
|
2016 casualties by survival outcome |
54 killed; 107 injured (2015: 59 killed; 73 injured) |
|
2016 casualties by device type |
15 antipersonnel mine; 49antivehicle mine; 95improvised mines (victim-activated improvised explosive devices, IEDs); 2 explosive remnants of war (ERW) |
In 2016, the Monitor identified 161 casualties from mines/ERW, including victim-activated IEDs, in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Half of all casualties (80) in 2016 were civilians. At least 27 were children. Military and security forces (including militia and militants) represented the remaining 81 recorded casualties. The 2016 figures were calculated from the database of Sustainable Peace and Development Organization (SPADO), which included at least 309 media-reported casualties of mines/ERW, IEDs, and hand grenades in Pakistan for 2016; the difference in the total mine/ERW casualties reported is due to the variation in media descriptions of the types of explosive devices used and the Monitor’s methodology for reporting casualties of mines/ERW, including improvised landmines (victim-activated IEDs and toy-like booby traps) as well as ERW including abandoned ordnance (AXO).[1]
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK, formerly North-West Frontier Province), the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and Balochistan continued to have the highest numbers of mine/ERW casualties in Pakistan; the combined annual totals for these areas accounted for more than 98% of all mine/ERW casualties in Pakistan in 2015.[2]
The 2016 casualty total represented a slight increase from the 132 mine/ERW casualties recorded in 2015, however it remained on a similar overall downward trajectory since a very significant drop in the total number of annual casualties from the 569 mine/ERW casualties identified in 2011. Given the considerable variation in the availability of annual casualty data over time, however, it is not possible to be certain of the extent to which changes in recorded casualties are indicative of actual trends versus shifts in media coverage and use of terminology.[3]
Due to the lack of official data or a comprehensive data-collection mechanism, the total number of casualties in Pakistan is not known. However, between 1999 and 2016, the Monitor identified at least 4,342 (1,644 killed; 2,605 injured; 93 unknown) from landmines, improvised mines (victim-activated IEDs), and ERW.[4] It is likely that the total number of casualties is much higher.
[1] Monitor casualty analysis based on data provided by SPADO media monitoring, 1 January 2016–31 December 2016.
[2] Ibid. In 2015, Balochistan had 68 mine/ERW casualties, FATA had 45, and KPK 45.
[3] While efforts have been made to increase sources of casualty data, the media remains the main source; the sporadic reporting of the incidents, along with remoteness and security situation of the areas where such incidents took place, make it likely that casualties continue to be under-reported.
[4] Data was collected through media monitoring, field visits, and information provided by service providers. For details, see previous country profiles for Pakistan available on the Monitor website.