Karachi under Siege: 28th December 2009

There are no heroes in war, only victims.

There are no heroes in war, only victims. A look at some of the US soldiers that came back from the Iraq war and each of them definitely has their own story to tell. Their tragedy will only be life reminders of how ugly war really is. http://ritemail-amazing.blogspot.com/2009/12/american-soldiers-back-from-in-iraq.html

Can the Victims of Terror Speak? The silence of HRCP Statistics

The sheer silence on the victims and survivors of terrorists bomb attacks in Pakistan is evidenced by the lack of statistical and biographical information on the victims of terror. Even Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, (HRCP), the prime agency for the protection of human rights in Pakistan does not cover the violations of human rights including deaths and injuries of innocent civilians, caused by terrorists attacks. The bulk of statistics are gathered around the following  9 subjects. 

• Burnings, Corporate Punishment, Deatn Penalty, Domestic Violance, Kidnapping, Killings, Sectarian Violance, Sexual Harrassment, Suicide
• 
  
• The nearest one can get to human rights violations caused by terrorist attacks are the statistics on the victims of Sectarian Violence in Pakistan. 

The summary of HRCP statistics for the year 2009, from January to October is as follows:  


Killed: 321

Wounded: 748. 

Source: Sectarianism & Sectarian Violence 

AIRRA statistics on Terrorist Violence and Victims in Pakistan

Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy (AIRRA)

AIRRA is a non-profit organization which has been envisioned to remain independent,both ideologically and organizationally,and is meant to carry out scientific and rational studies for policy recommendations to countries in the region (South and Central Asia), international community and development organizations.The geographical focus for research will initially remain to be FATA, NWFP, Northern Baluchistan in Pakistan, and South and Eastern Afghanistan because of convenience and easy accessibility.

AIRRA shall focus thematically to understand and recommend for human security, social development, regional cooperation and an environment free of extremism and terrorism that would probably usher in an era of pluralism, equal economic and political opportunities, rule of law, and individual and collective empowerment for the people of South and Central Asia within their state institutional frameworks in consonance with nature.

List of Widows of Swat, Dec 2009

Aryana Institute of Regional Studies and Advocacy issued a list of widows in two villages of Swat. More of such lists are needed for all whole of Pakistan before any rehabilitation work can begin on sustainable basis. In addition, a number of other statistics and surveys maps the situation. 


Also see the following:

List of Bomb blasts in Pakistan, 2000-2009

Casualties report May 15 to May 21, 2009


Facts And Figures Of Losses And Damages Incurred Between Parts Of The Pashtun Belt Due To Religious Militancy From 1st May 09 To 31st May 09 

SUICIDE ATTACKS IN PAKISTAN 2002-2007 Suicide Attacks in Pakistan, 2008-9

Facts Sheet on SWAT Education & Other Vital Data

SAIR information: The eclipsed scale of Terrorist Violence in Pakistan

A think tank based in India, South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) brings out regular assessments, data and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region.

The following information on the reported deaths due to terrorist violence in Pakistan is drawn from SAIR website. A general reader's discretion is advised. We should build equally credible sources of information for public dissemination in order to verify the statistics provided below. 

 

Pakistan Data Sheet

Number and Deaths/Injuries in Bom blasts in Pakistan

Casualties of Terrorist Violence in Pakistan
Sectarian Violence in Pakistan (1989-2009) 
Major incidents of terrorist violence in Pakistan, 1988-2009
Bomb Blasts in Karachi, 1987-2004
Suicide Attacks in Islamabad
Suicide Attacks in Rawalpindi
Sectarian attacks in mosques in Pakistan (2002-2008)

Moon Market shopkeepers demand compensation

The UN had declared the victims of terrorists attacks as the most neglected victims in the world today. This is true for Pakistan, where despite more than decade old history of terrorist bomb attacks in the cities, there is little recognition of their significance as urban disasters. They are erased from public memory faster than natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Moreover, forced displacements as a result of military warfare, such as in  NWFP, gained world wide attention as well as international aid. Whereas, the victims of urban disasters such as terrorist attacks are compensated largely on grounds of political expediency but not as matters of public policy. 


The response of victims of Moon Market tragedy underscores the need for evolving effective mechanisms for managing the process of compensation and rehabilitation work, to be carried out on long term basis. Financial compensations will not last long, more sustainable ways of offering help in medical, psychological, educational and employment  related matters should be developed.   


Daily Times
* Traders’ union president says losses estimated at Rs 30 million so far
* Stall owner says ‘nearly impossible’ for him to restart business on his own

By Rana Tanveer

LAHORE: Around 150 shops, including roadside stalls, were destroyed in the twin blasts at Moon Market causing a loss of around Rs 35 million to more than 160 shopkeepers, Moon Market Traders Union President Abdul Jabbar said on Wednesday.

Secretary General of the traders’ union, Arif Siddiqui, said they had registered 109 stallholders and 52 shopkeepers so far while around 25 shopkeepers have not been registered as yet. He said the losses could increase once all the shopkeepers had been registered.

Meanwhile, the blasts have burdened several small-scale shopkeepers with heavy loans after their shops were destroyed completely and they are now relying on the government to compensate their loss.

Some stall owners expressed helplessness while talking to Daily Times, saying they had recently started their business by taking loans from relatives. They said their goods, makeshift stalls and carts had been completely destroyed in the blast.

A toy stall owner said his business had burnt into ashes along with Rs 1 million that he had collected from a monthly committee from several traders of the area and was supposed to give it to one of them on the next day of the blast.

He said he did not know how he would be able to return the amount as he did not even own his house and his business had also been destroyed. To a question, he said the government could compensate his loss but no one would believe he had lost Rs 1 million in cash.

Impossible: Kamran Ahmed, a small-scale shopkeeper selling sweaters, said he had started his business only two months ago, adding that the day the blasts happened was his first day at work after Eid holidays. He said he had no source of income besides selling sweaters on a cart, adding it was nearly impossible to restart the business. Ahmed said he had already borrowed money from his brother-in-law to start the business, adding that there was no hope except the government’s help for earning for his family.

Home | Lahore

Govt to reconstruct Moon Market, compensate victims

The steps of the Punjab Government are laudable and must be strengthened by financial contributions from  private sector as well as civil society. Now, the real task for a citizen group is to be able to monitor the process of compensations from public announcements to the actual disbursement to increase the transparency of the process. 


Daily Times, Thursday, December 10, 2009, LAHORE: The Punjab government announced Rs 300,000 in compensation for the families of victims of the Moon Market blasts, a private TV channel reported on Wednesday. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters that the government would bear thue costs of their medical treatment. He also announced the government’s decision to reconstruct the market and announced a comprehensive survey to assess the damage incurred. daily times monitor