EASO COI REPORT Pakistan
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EASO Pakistan Security Situation Country of Origin Information Report October 2020 More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). EN PDF/Volume_01 ISBN: 978-92-9485-683-8 doi: 10.2847/737033 BZ-02-20-905-EN-N © European Asylum Support Office, 2020 Cover photo: © PSSP Lahore, Pakistan 2013 url CC BY 2.0 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. For any use or reproduction of photos or other material that is not under the EASO copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. Country of origin information report | Pakistan: Security Situation Acknowledgements EASO acknowledges as the drafter of this report: Belgium, Centre for Documentation and Research (Cedoca) in the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Person The following departments and organisations have reviewed the report: Austria, Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, Country of Origin Information Department Poland, Country of Origin Information Unit, Department for Refugee Procedures, Office for Foreigners ACCORD – Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation It must be noted that the review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts or organisations contributes to the overall quality of the report, but does not necessarily imply their formal endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of EASO. 3 Country of origin information report | Pakistan: Security Situation Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 3 Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Disclaimer................................................................................................................................................ 6 Glossary and Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 13 Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 13 Defining the terms of reference ................................................................................................... 13 Quality control .............................................................................................................................. 13 Sources ............................................................................................................................................. 13 Structure and use of the report ........................................................................................................ 17 Map ....................................................................................................................................................... 18 1. General description of the security situation in Pakistan ................................................................. 19 1.1 Overview of recent conflicts in Pakistan .................................................................................... 19 1.1.1 Background of militancy ...................................................................................................... 19 1.1.2 Ethnic and sectarian violence .............................................................................................. 21 1.1.3 Political developments ........................................................................................................ 21 1.1.4 International context........................................................................................................... 23 1.2 Actors in the conflict ................................................................................................................... 25 1.2.1 State forces.......................................................................................................................... 25 1.2.2 Armed groups ...................................................................................................................... 27 1.3 Recent security trends and armed confrontations ..................................................................... 42 1.3.1 Security incidents ................................................................................................................ 42 1.3.2 Nature of security incidents ................................................................................................ 44 1.3.3 Impact of COVID-19 on the security situation .................................................................... 53 1.4 Impact of the violence on the civilian population ...................................................................... 53 1.4.1 Figures on casualties in 2019 .............................................................................................. 54 1.4.2 Figures on casualties 1 January 2020 - 31 July 2020 ........................................................... 55 1.4.3 Targets of attacks ................................................................................................................ 56 1.4.4 Effects of violent incidents on society in Pakistan .............................................................. 58 1.4.5 Internally Displaced Persons and refugees ......................................................................... 60 1.5 State ability to secure law and order .......................................................................................... 61 1.5.1 Security forces ..................................................................................................................... 62 4 Country of origin information report | Pakistan: Security Situation 1.5.2 Judiciary and legal system ................................................................................................... 65 1.5.3 Anti-Terrorism Acts and military courts .............................................................................. 65 1.5.4 Detention and death penalty .............................................................................................. 67 2. Security situation per region ............................................................................................................. 68 2.1 Geographical overview of the violence ...................................................................................... 68 2.1.1 Trends in regional violence ................................................................................................. 68 2.1.2 Regional comparison of violence-related casualties ........................................................... 70 2.2 Security trends per geographic subdivision................................................................................ 72 2.2.1 Punjab .................................................................................................................................. 72 2.2.2 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (including former FATA) ................................................................... 74 2.2.3 Balochistan .......................................................................................................................... 86 2.2.4 Sindh .................................................................................................................................... 90 2.2.5 Islamabad Capital Territory ................................................................................................. 92 2.2.6 Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan ....................................................................................... 94 Annex 1: Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 98 Annex 2: Terms of Reference .............................................................................................................. 136 Annex 3: Query list .............................................................................................................................. 137 5 Country of origin information report | Pakistan: Security Situation Disclaimer This report was written according to the EASO COI Report Methodology (2019)1. The report is based on carefully selected sources of information. All sources used are referenced. The information contained in this report has been researched, evaluated and analysed with utmost care. However, this document does not claim to be exhaustive. If a particular event, person or organisation is not mentioned in the report, this does not mean that the event has not taken place or that the person or organisation does not exist. Furthermore, this report is not conclusive as to the determination or merit of any particular application for international protection. Terminology used should not be regarded as indicative of a particular legal position. ‘Refugee’, ‘risk’ and similar terminology are used as generic terminology and not in the legal sense as applied in the EU Asylum Acquis, the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained in this report. The drafting of this