News
Monday, January 17, 2011
Pakistan lacks sound security strategy: PIPS
ISLAMABAD: The number of suicide bombings and other attacks in Pakistan declined nearly 20 percent last year as a result of military operations, better surveillance by law enforcement agencies and the death of key terrorists in US drone strikes, a think tank said on Sunday. But the terrorist threat remains dire, and the Pakistani government has yet to develop a comprehensive policy to eradicate terrorists, who continue to plague the country, warned the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) in a new report. “Better coordination among intelligence agencies, capacity building of law enforcement agencies, curbs on terrorism financing and adequate measures to prevent banned groups from operating across the country remained persistently lacking,” said the report. The number of terrorist, insurgent and sectarian-related attacks in Pakistan declined from 2,586 in 2009 to 2,113 last year. But the number of people killed in attacks only dropped about 3.5 percent, from 3,021 to 2,913. Despite the general decline, attacks roughly tripled last year in two largest cities, said the report. In Karachi, 93 attacks killed 233 people last year, up from 24 attacks that killed 65 in 2009. Country’s cultural capital, Lahore, witnessed 44 attacks last year compared to 11 in 2009. ap
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk