Pakistan Violence Drops Significantly In 2016: Report

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Pakistan violence drops significantly in 2016: Report

ISLAMABAD, Jan 5 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 05th Jan, 2017 ) : Deaths linked to violence in Pakistan decreased significantly in 2016, dropping 45 per cent compared with the previous year. About 2,610 people lost their lives due to violence during the period compared with 4,647 in 2015, according to a research report released by the Islamabad-based think tank, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).

"There was nearly a 45 per cent reduction in the number of violence-related fatalities in 2016, which continued the trend of reduction from 2014," the report said. "In fact, since 2014, there has been an overall reduction of nearly 66 per cent." It added that December was the least violent month for the country during the year.

Pakistan's army launched an operation in June 2014 to wipe out militant bases in northwestern tribal areas and bring an end to a bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives since 2004.

It has involved a series of military offensives as well as concerted efforts to block the militants' sources of funding. Last year, the country recorded its lowest number of killings since 2007.

According to the CRSS report, the two provinces of central Punjab and southwestern Balochistan had a marginal increase in violence during 2016. Balochistan suffered the most fatalities as violence- related deaths rose from 719 in 2015 to 798 last year, an upsurge of nearly 10 percent, followed by central Punjab which lost 424 people during 2016.