About the Author

Fazal ur Rehman Afridi is a journalist, writer and Human Rights Activist. During his long carrier he held different positions in diverse fields as under:

His contributions as Writer:

• Bosnia & Herzegovina in the New Millennium.
• Draconian Law of Frontier Crimes Regulation of 1901 (FCR).
• Editor-in-Chief of Human Rights Investigator, Khyber and Administrator.

Back in 1997 when adult franchise was introduced  for the first time in the history of tribal areas in Pakistan named as FATA, Fazal-ur Rehman Afridi along with other highly motivated human rights activists like Zarteef Khan Afridi (killed by Taliban recently for defending the human rights of the people of FATA) began a campaign to register women voters in Khyber agency and in F.R. Kohat region of Tribal areas, despite strong opposition from the tribal elders and extremist elements in the region.

He worked for the rights of women and children in the most dangerous tribal region of Pakistan adjacent to Afghanistan named as FATA, which resulted in threats and attacks on his life. He continue his struggle for the promotion and protections of the rights of women and children in France.

Afridi launched the MALALA PRIZE FOR PEACE, EDUCATION & FREEEDOM OF EXPRESSION in France to encourage the Human Rights Activists, journalists and other citizens in Pakistan and Afghanistan to raise their voice for the promotion and protection of the rights of women and children in this war torn region and say no to terrorism.

Established an Association here in France in the year 2012  with the name Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber (IRESK) to protect and preserve the rights of women and children and to work for the universally accepted democratic and secular value.

Working actively for the release of Asia Bibi condemned to death by the Pakistan Courts along with Human Rights NGOs here in France. Details can be seen in the link below of Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber (IRESK).

He can be reached at [email protected]

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This publication is provided gratis or sold, subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of

trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than in which it is published and without similar condition, including this condition being composed on the subsequent publisher.

References to this report and excerpts of the report can be reproduced with due acknowledgment of the publication and Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber (IRESK).

FORWARD:

IRESK is encouraged by the fact that it has been able to effectively highlight the extremely dangerous situation for the children living in Pakistan through the launch of 12 monthly reports and now the first annual report 2012 to inform the world about the barbarism of the terrorists groups who are bent upon targeting our children, using & training them as suicide bombers, bombing their schools and using all means to stop them from going to schools.

It is really unfortunate and alarming that the trend of terrorism against the children is on rise in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, which has dangerous implications for the both the countries in particular and the world in general.

This study,  the comprehensive review of data and qualitative analysis is done by Fazal-Ur Rehman Afridi, a journalist, writer and human rights activist, who has a long experience in research and advocacy on issues of child rights and social communication.

We, here at IRESK believe that statistics which cannot be transformed into planning and decision-making are useless devoid of a vision for future, direction and empathy that is particularly required in the case of statistics of terrorism against children. Data must lead to critical thinking and positive action.

IRESK truly believe that this report will help decision-makers in realizing the urgency to undertake concerted efforts at all levels to combat and eliminate the menace of terrorism against our children in Pakistan.

Violence in all its forms particularly against women and children has struck Pakistan in the most brutal manner in recent months. Only zero tolerance for violence against women and children; commitment to peace and democracy and strengthening of political and democratic institutions can save Pakistan and; only the people of Pakistan can save themselves from the forces of darkness and terrorism. With this resolve,  I would like to extend  my gratitude to  all those who are committed to the cause of elimination of violence and terrorism against children in Pakistan and their continuous support to realize this objective.

Anne-Sophie Sebban

Secretary General

IRESK

April 2013,  Paris.

Table of Contents

LIST ACRONYMS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

FORWORD

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

MONTHLY REPORTS FOR THE YEAR 2012

RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSIONS

ANNEXES

List of Acronyms

IRESK Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber (IRESK)

FC FATA Centre

PIHRO

IIUI

CRC

UDHR

CBO Community Based Organization

CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against

Women

FATA Federally Administered Tribal Area

ICT Islamabad Capital Territory

ILO International Labour Organisation

KP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

MDGs Millennium Development Goals

NGO Non-Governmental Organisation

PATA Provincially Administered Tribal Areas

TAAC

TAAS

TTP

UN United Nations

UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women

WHO World Health Organisation

Acknowledgement

For last 2 years IRESK has been ensuring to raise the voice for and on behalf of

The children victims of terrorism in Pakistan. We are struggling for the cause along with many allies like colletif contre le terrorism and International Alliance Against Terrorism (IAAT). We would like to acknowledge support and help of all our partners, friends, activists here in France and from around the world.

IRESK is grateful to

It would be simply impossible for us to plan and carry out activities and interventions without

active support of MPCT, Colletif Contre le Terrorisme (CCT), International Alliance Against Terrorism (IAAT) and other NGOs  which play a vital role for contribution in eliminating TAAC from society.

Print media has always been our vital partner as on one hand print media is one of the major

sources of information for incidents of TAAC and TAAS and on the other hand it highlights children related issues and terrorism against children however in small scale. We acknowledge the support of all mainstream and regional newspapers published in Urdu, English and Pashto languages, which have been a main source of data for our present report.

Endorsed by the following civil society organizations:

MPCT

 Colletif Contre le Terrorisme,

 IAAT

 LDIF

INTRODUCTION

The present report is the first but not the least on the children victims of Terrorism in Pakistan. It is first and unique report which focuses on the children who are either the victims of terrorism or being used as suicide bombers in Pakistan, published by IRESK, it               presents a qualitative review of TERRORIST ATTACKS AGAINST CHILDREN (TAAC) statistics for the year 2012.

The history of TAAC begins with March 17, 2002, when a grenade attack on a Protestant church in the heavily guarded diplomatic enclave of Islamabad resulted in killing of at least five persons, including a US diplomat’s wife (Barbara Green) and his 17-year old daughter (Kristen Wormsley).According to CNN, more than 40 people were injured, including at least 10 Americans. 

In Af-Pak region our Children are exploited, abused, terrorized and used as tools of terrorism on daily basis by terrorists.  We are short of reliable data as most of the time the systematic violence against children, is not reported due to lack of access to the areas controlled by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda particularly in the Tribal areas of Pakistan adjacent to Afghanistan. So, having a comprehensive assessment and analysis of facts and figures is difficult in order to make a comprehensive plan of action against terrorism targeting children. 

 The importance of protection and welfare of the child has been specifically highlighted in different conventions, covenants and declarations by UN as well as in other statutes and instruments by specialized agencies  and international organizations, particularly in the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1924,  the Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by the General Assembly on 20 November 1959 , the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,  the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (in particular in articles 23 and 24) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (in particular in article 10) .

The Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1990 is the first legally binding international instrument which incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social. The child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care. One of the core principles of the Convention is the right to life of a child. I would like to focus on the right of child to live. The terrorists are depriving our children of this fundamental right to live and to be brought-up in a peaceful environment.

Both the Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan are signatory to the convention and are responsible  to implement all relevant   Security Council Resolutions concerning the protection of children, including resolution No: 1612.

The EU & US should not hide the fact of Pakistan being involved in almost all the terrorist acts carried out in the region. Both of them should  focus on  Pakistan  which is serving as a laboratory for terrorism. Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism determined to achieve strategic-depth in Afghanistan and creating instability in India through asymmetrical war (terrorism). Pakistan should be warned to face consequences if it does not stop sponsoring terrorism through its Military secret service ISI. It is in the Al Qaeda-ISI-Taliban-run terrorist camps in the border regions with Afghanistan where children are brain-washed, trained and sent to explode bombs as suicide bombers in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A global campaign is needed. A holistic approach, covering all aspects of terrorism is needed to root-out  terrorism and protect our children. We should have the courage to stand firm against the terrorists and say « no to terrorism”.

We are amazed at the statements by some European experts on terrorism who say that Europe is safe. The evidence paint a different picture. It is absolutely wrong to say that Europe is safe and our children are secure. Mohammad Merah terror episode  should work as a test case for EU as to what can happen in future if, the terrorists are not stopped/attacked in the very areas from where they operate. Otherwise, terrorists will bring this war to Europe.

I can enumerate several cases of terrorism that occurred in Europe in not too distant past. The Beslan school tragedy in the North Ossetia on September 1, 2004 can be termed  the worst terror-related human catastrophe in the history of this turbulent region. It resulted in the killing of 335 people including 186 children.   More than 700 persons were injured, mostly children. This act of terror against innocent children in the backyard of Western Europe should have been an eye-opener but was immediately forgotten by the world and Europe.

On 22 July 2011, Anders Behring Breivik in the worst terrorist act in the history of Norway bombed a government building in Oslo and then carried out a mass-shooting at a summer camp of youth wing of Labour Party at Utoya which resulted in killing of 77 people including 69 teenagers. Europe has forgotten it too.

On May 19, 2012, a bomb exploded in front of a school in Brindisi in south of Italy, exactly at a time when the students were arriving at the school resulted in killing of a young girl aged 17 and injuring 7 others.  This terrorist attack on innocent armless children shocked Italy and Europe but immediately forgotten.

March 19, 2012 Mohammad Merah a Salafist Al-Qaeda influenced terrorist enter a Jewish school in Toulouse in France killing a teacher and three children aged 3, 6, and 8 years old. We seem to have forgotten this barbarism too.

Merah turned to Salafism in prison in France. He further radicalized after his two visits to terrorists camps in  Afghanistan and Pakistan where he got terrorist training but the government and national security agencies did not pay attention. As a result, the monster selected a target without any hurdle or difficulty and killed 3 small school-going  children in  cold-blood. The terrorist chased an 8-year-old girl into the courtyard, caught her by her hair shot her in temple at point-blank range. The victims were 30-year-old Rabbi Jonathan (Yonatan) Sandler; his two children Aryeh, aged 6, and Gabriel, aged 3; and the head teacher’s daughter, eight-year-old Miriam Monsonego, 

The French police awoke after this barbaric act, arrested over 40 persons belonging to a group Forsane Alizza, suspected of inciting to violence and terrorism. On 16 May 2012 three young teenagers were arrested in France who were ready to embark on a tour of Pakistan and Afghanistan to train for Jihad. It is really alarming.

It should have been an eye-opener for French authorities. The public and government seems to have forgotten this terrorist act. Neglect can cost more and can result in more terrorist attacks on our children as children seems to be an easy target. We do not know how many dormant-terrorists cells or lone-wolves are there in Europe who can attack any time and at any place at the time of their choice. I think lessons have not been learnt even now.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, at least 2,284 people died in ethnic, sectarian and political violence in Karachi in 2012.

More than 3,000 civilians were killed in the war in Afghanistan in 2011, the fifth year in a row the number has risen, according to the United Nations.

SUICIDE BOMBERS:

Al-Qaeda continue to spread its message of  terror and the ideology of Jihad despite the death of its leader Osama bin Ladin by US special forces in Abbotabad, Pakistan. Taliban (religious students) are indoctrinated and pressured heavily in more than 20000 Madarsas (religious schools) in Pakistan to engage in a holy war against infidels and foreigners in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda and Taliban are focusing on children to use them as a tool of terrorism, which indicate a very dangerous trend for the civilized world.

In 2008, less than a month after his 17th birthday, Haneef killed two Pakistani soldiers when he rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into an army convoy on a road not far from his home in Pekai, a hamlet in the militancy-plagued South Waziristan. Haneef Mehsud was a normal teenager who spent most of his time hanging out with friends and playing cricket before he was recruited by the Taliban and turned into a suicide bomber.

“We tried to stop him when he visited his family two weeks before the attack and informed us that he was soon going to embrace martyrdom,” Haneef’s father, Ghazi Mehsud, told. 

On February 15, 2012, Afghan police rescued 41 children from becoming suicide bombers as they were about to be smuggled across the mountains into Pakistan. According to Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman of Interior ministry, the children aged six to 11 were released from terrorists in eastern Kunar province. The children were chained so that they could not escape from the terrorists.

On February 12, 2012, two 12-years-old boys named Nasibullah and Azizullah equipped with suicide vests were arrested in Kandahar,  who were trained as suicide bombers in Pakistani Madresas. One of them had been pardoned by President Hamid Karzai less than a year ago for the same crime. The teacher told me, “ you will not be hurt, just go and carry out a suicide attack, ”Azizullah said.

Mandy Clark, a CBS News Digital Journalist based in Afghanistan in a story  appeared on October 15, 2009 says that Nine young boys were tricked by Taliban to  deliver  a bomb hidden in a fruit basket  to a local commander working with U.S. forces. What they didn’t know was hidden in the basket was a bomb. It exploded early on September 11, 2009  resulting in severe injuries to the boys. Two lost legs, one went blind, all their lives changed in a flash. 11-year-old Eidullah and 9 year old Mohammed were two of the boys who lost their legs.

In another case, on July 1, 2011, KAINAT, a 9 years old girl was abducted from Peshawar, Pakistan and then directed by the terrorists to attack a target with a suicide jacket. She was rescued when she cried for help as she closed in to a police barricade. But, at the very same day another un-known suicide girl was killed in Uruzgan province of Afghanistan when the terrorists detonated her explosive west as she approached a police vehicle.

On April 03, 2011, Umar Fidai, a young boy as old as 14 years was indoctrinated and brain-washed by terrorists along with his friend Ismail of the same age to attack a religious sufi shrine in Derra Ghazi Khan, Punjab province.  Ismail detonated the first bomb which resulted in killing of 36 and injuring of over 100 innocent pilgrimages.  Umar Fidai ran over to the bloody scene and detonated his vest as planned to cause maximum damage but the vest failed to explode. He was surprised to find himself in hospital with amputated arm rather than in the comfort of paradise as promised by the terrorists.

Under constant threat from terrorists, we cannot leave our children at the mercy of the terrorists.  In the modern age of internet and social networking, children in Europe are just one click away from the terrorists. Some writers and analyst who deny the presence of terrorism in Europe are just hiding their heads in sand like ostriches. The threat is real. The reason the Europe is relatively safe is not because the terrorists are not interested in Europe, but because of the fact that the brave people in Law & order agencies and security services are busy day and night to protect the public and children from the terrorists. National Security Agencies and media is responsible to sensitize and inform the public and civil society organizations of the threats posed by the terrorists to Europe and the whole world. Sensitization is very important. If we leave  the situation un-resolved in Af-Pak region,  soon it is going to haunt us here in the near future. The conclusion, « terrorism has no boundaries”.

Taliban and Al-Qaeda are extensively using media  and social networks in their propaganda to attract children towards the message of hate, killing and Jihad against the infidels. In recently released videos by Taliban, Children as young as 5 years old have been shown training for Jihad (Holy war). The method used and sentiments aroused seems to be the same as used by Hamas and other Jihadist organizations in Middle East. It means that the terrorists are using the modern media networks to communicate with each other learn from their experiences and target the immature children in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The children are abducted, tortured, brain-washed, killed and injured on the one hand while on the other they are used as suicide bombers as they are an easy prey and easily brainwashed. Most of the times these children used as suicide bombers do not know that a bomb is tied to their body to be detonated with a remote-control device.

The North Waziristan Agency in the tribal areas of Pakistan has become a factory for suicide bombers where young children as old as 9 years are trained as suicide bombers. According to a DPI report, in January 2008, during a short offensive, the military discovered a suicide nursery in the Spinkai area of South Waziristan. 
Intelligence estimates in 2008, say that more than 5,000 child suicide bombers between the ages of 10 and 17 were trained by the Taliban. 

The Pakistani Military showed reporters in 2008 a video footage of a classroom where a masked teacher taught children how to carry out a suicide attack. The children, sitting in rows, were wearing white headbands inscribed with Quranic verses. Maj Gen Athar Abbas, the army’s chief spokesman, said that soldiers had rounded up over 50 boys who were undergoing suicide attack training. 

SCHOOLS BOMBED & DESTROYED:

The education of girls is of primary importance for any society. According to an African proverb if you educate a boy, you educate a person but if you educate a girl you educate a whole family. We can enumerate enormous benefits associated with girls education as they benefit  both male and female children, secondly educated girls  are suppose to be financially and political independent and empowered and are more inclined to brought up  and educate their children in a peaceful environment away from terrorism and extremism. Those girls are going to become better citizens, and better parents to their own children.

Well aware of these important facts presented above, the terrorists are using all their energies and tactics to bar/stop  girls from education in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Taliban through religious decrees have banned girls education in their respective areas. They are using all tactics and means to stop girls from going to schools.  These terrorists threaten, abduct, torture, poison, and kill the girls and even their teachers, who dare to go to schools.

More than 2000 schools have been bombed and destroyed by Taliban and Al-Qaeda terrorists in just one province named Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in North-West of Pakistan as well as  the Tribal region (FATA) adjacent to Pak-Afghan border. 

On April 17, 2012, Reuters reported the poisoning of 150 girls after drinking contaminated water at a high school in Uruzgun Province of Afghanistan. In a latest attack on May 24, 2012, over 120 girls and their three teachers were poisoned by a toxic powder sprayed in the class-rooms by Taliban in Takhar Province of Afghanistan.

The extremists are not just destroying the schools, they are destroying our future. In FATA, Pakistan the literacy rate for boys is 16 % while for girls is less than 1 %. And still the terrorists are bent upon depriving this small percentage of girls to go to school. While there is problem there is hope too. Many girls have stood up against Taliban to pursue their education. The  light in the darkness are the girls like Malala Yousafzai , who stood against the terror and continued to educate herself and other girls- though clandestinely in the city of Swat, Pakistan.

The terrorists are bent upon not only killing our children but they are perusing a systematic campaign to deprive them of education in Pakistan where nearly three quarters of young Pakistani girls are not enrolled in primary school and the number finishing five years in education has declined,  as indicated by a recently published joint UN-Pakistani government report. The findings of this joint-report  expose the miserable state of education for millions in Pakistan, where the Pakistani Taliban shot 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai in the head in October to silence her campaign for the right to an education.“Nearly half of primary school age children are not enrolled in school and among eligible girls the out of school proportion is closer to three-quarters. In absolute numbers, out-of-school girls outnumber their male counterparts,” it say.

“Completion rates to the fifth year of schooling have actually declined in the past five years,” it said. Fifty-five per cent of all Pakistani adults are illiterate and among women the rate is closer to 75 per cent, the report indicates. Women are denied their basic right to education and to a decent life. Well aware of the power of education for empowering women and girls in the economic, social and political areas of life, the Taliban and other terrorist organizations operating in Pakistan using all brutal means to stop girls from going to school. Taliban along with the feudal lords and Military establishment do not approve the education of girls so that they can marginalize, isolate, discriminate, violate their basic rights, make women economically dependent on men and stoop them to a lower status in this male-dominated society.

The Malala incident has awoken the world community towards the brutality of the Taliban and their medieval ideology of hate and killing. IRESK demand of the world community to adopt a holistic approach while working for the universal educations in Pakistan. The first and most important step in that direction will be to provide protection to the school going children and their schools where more than 91 schools were bombed and destroyed in 2012. The human Rights Watch figures put this number at around 100 schools, while the real number is much higher as the bombing of the schools in FATA is not reported by the media.

Despite, the tall claims of Universal education or Education for all in Pakistan by the President of Pakistan at an International Conference co-organized with UNESCO at its headquarter in Paris, the girls of Pakistan continue to suffer from the threats, abductions and killings by Taliban and terrorists bands. Taliban are killing the girls who dare to go to schools with impunity in a systematic way to stop them from getting educated. On the other hand their schools are the main target of Taliban, which are being destroyed on daily basis. The reason for the failure is simple as always pointed out by IRESK that a holistic or two pronged approach/strategy to protect and provide security to the girls of Pakistan first and then implement the education for all strategy. Just wasting millions in failed projects, without cutting out the cancer will not work. The next important thing is to match the promises and words with actions. Words without actions are waste of time and money on conferences like held in Paris. UNESCO must also keep in mind its inherent values and goals in mind and should not compromise on its aims and objectives simply to get few millions. We do not need those to lecture us on education and universal values who are themselves a part of the problem rather then solution.

We think that through education and awareness we can fight the menace of terrorism. The forces of darkness i.e the Taliban and terrorist bands are well aware of the power of education and its mild influence on our future generations that is why they are bent upon systematically attacking the schools the children and the teachers to stop them getting  the light of education.

This publication is a part of the IRESK’s “Policy and Data Monitoring on Terrorism against Children” project. The project is particularly oriented towards data-collection, analysis and dissemination to highlight TAC issues prevalent in Pakistani society, particularly in the North-West province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. The present report forms part of the actions undertaken by IRESK for providing momentum to its efforts for advocacy, policy and law reforms for enforcement of measures in collaboration with other like-minded civil society organizations, groups and activists.

The methodology used in obtaining the data as well as constraints and limitations faced by the

data collection personnel of IRESK are discussed in detail in the Annexure.

The main source of data was the print media in Urdu, English as well as in regional languages. Therefore, the present study presents only ‘reported’ terrorist incidents against children, and does not reflect the social, psychological, cultural and the consequent economic dimensions of the terrorism against children that have devastating effects on society as a whole. According to the statistics collected, the total number of the reported TAAC  in Pakistan resulted in the killing of 141 children and in injuring of 207 children in Pakistan during 1st January to 31st December 2012.

What remains puzzling is the quasi-silence of our religious circles, who defend with all their might the distortion and misuse of clear Islamic injunctions and do not condemn & declare the terrorists and suicide attacks as un-Islamic. Only one Canandian-based scholar Tahir ur Qadri has come out openly against terrorist and suicide attacks and issued a FATWA against such attacks.

This report is being published with the strong belief and hope that it is possible to bring about

meaningful change in attitudes and behaviour by providing authentic information that can guide decision makers and development practitioners and sensitize public opinion about the

unacceptable and ongoing violence being perpetrated against children in the country.

Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber (IRESK),  a partner of International Alliance against Terrorism (IAAT) has expressed time and againg its deep concern over continuing atrocities and terrorism on children in Pakistan particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Where Children and the schools have been the prime target of the terrorists who leave no stone unturned to achieve their heinous objectives.

Worst of all,  the Taliban and the pro-government militant Hafiz Gul Bahadar have imposed a polio-vaccination ban in North and South Waziristan tribal districts of Pakistan in FATA, which has put the lives of more than 240000 children at risk. The situation is deteriorating in other areas of Pakistan too due to covert connivance of the government. A foreign doctor and his driver of World Health Organization (WHO) were injured when they were attacked by militants (Taliban) in Karachi, while another worker of polio-vaccination campaign was killed earlier in Sindh Province. After killings, abductions and torture of children, the bombing of the schools, the terrorists have started  terror attacks on the health of the children.

The statistics reported and verified represent a tip of an ice-berg as most of the areas controlled by the Taliban and other Jihadist elements have not been accessible to media and civil society associations. Ironically, the regions most affected by terrorism like FATA have been subject to complete news-black-out by the government of Pakistan: barring the local and foreign journalists to enter and report on this region.  Consequently, both terrorists and military are killing innocent children and women with indiscriminate use of mortar shelling, artillery fire and jet-bombings.

State, Society and History

Situated on the northwestern flank of the South Asian Region, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan straddles a strategically important geo-political part of Asia, with the Arabian Sea in the south, sharing borders with Iran and Afghanistan in the west and India in the east. In the north, the narrow Wakhan strip joins it with China. Itself the cradle of the Indus Valley civilization, Pakistan connects the Indian sub-continent with the Middle East and Central Asia.

Over the centuries, even before the arrival of the Aryans, this area has welcomed new people and new ideas, absorbing them in its own rich culture. These migratory populations came more than often with invading armies. There were relatively shorter periods of peace in the area that now comprises Pakistan between one invasion and the next, and its people have witnessed many turbulent times. The invaders from the north-west, and from 16th century onwards, the growing influence of colonizing European nations, particularly the English who came in the guise of merchants, had started corroding the body-politic of the sub-continent. The culture of the Mughals and the Maharajas could not stand up against the mercantile and industrial culture of the East India Company. As the world crumbled around them the people sought solace in Sufism, which propagated a message of love, compassion, tolerance and universal brotherhood. Sufism seems to have become a defence mechanism, a shield to protect civilized life from the rigours of living under the scourge of both political tyranny as well as its supporting religiosity1. Side by side with Sufi teachings, there was another mindset which developed in this part of the world, one that is common to most war prone regions where the physically strong dominates the weak, when vendetta and feuds between warring tribes and clans.

Pakistan came into being as a separate state on 14 August 1947, after almost a century of British colonial rule. The partition of the Indian sub-continent was justified on the basis of providing a country to safeguard the rights of the Muslims, rights that they feared would be denied to them in an undivided India where an overwhelming majority was Hindu. The founder of the country, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, wanted a country where all religious faiths would live in harmony and the matters of state and religion would not be intermixed, as stated by him in clear terms in his famous speech of 11 August 1947. But in the following years, Pakistan evolved into an ideological state where Islam became the state religion and the population was was almost exclusively, 98%, Muslim.

A patriarchal and misogynist mindset interpreted Islamic injunctions affecting women in a

narrow parochial manner weighing heavily in favour of men, despite constitutional guarantees of fundamental human rights, including equality of status and opportunity before the law.

 In Pakistan religiosity is on the rise.The tensions with India on the east since the birth of Pakistan on the one hand, and with Afghanistan on the west, particularly since the invasion of that country in 1989 by the Soviet forces on the other, have been rising. It has led to an era of violence in our country.

Heavy militarization along with acquiring of the status of a nuclear state have not helped

Pakistan much in dealing with the outbreak of jihadi violence in the uncontrollable semiautonomous tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

With Pakistan’s involvement in the Afghan war, the country gradually became a transit route for Afghan drugs, including heroin, opium, morphine, and hashish, mainly for markets in Iran, the Gulf States, Africa, Asia, Europe and America. The increasing incidence of financial crimes related to drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption and smuggling has aggravated the sense of social insecurity. The situation has been further compounded with the free flow of arms and weapons, giving birth to what is called thekalashnikov culture. Violence in general is on the rise for settling scores, not only in ideological skirmishes but for personal issues as well.

The Global Gender Gap Index 2010 shows Pakistan slipping from 127th place in 2008 to a

dismal 132ndposition among 134 nations, followed only by Chad and Yemen.

Overview of TAAC in Pakistan:

In 2012 more than 141 children were killed and 207 were injured in Pakistan in Terrorists Attacks in different parts of the country majority of them killed in KP and FATA. According to statistics collected by IRESK more than 91 schools were reported to be bombed and destroyed by the terrorists bands in Pakistan.   In 2011, 250 children died in armed conflicts in different parts of the country. Majority were killed in Fata and KP. Education for All Global Monitoring Report, 2012 states that Pakistan have a total of 5.1 million children out of school, making it the nation with second highest out-of-school children in the world.Being sixth largest populated country, Pakistan is facing the education crises.. The militants have blown up 839 schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Federal Administrative Tribal Areas (FATA) from 2009 to 2012. The Conflict Monitoring Centre (CMC) annual report shows that the militants have blown up 81 schools last year with 52 schools destroyed in KP and 29 in Fata. In KP, the most effected district was Swabi where 13 schools were destroyed which means that one school was destroyed in every month of the year. The CMC report says that the militancy acted as a bomb shell for education sector. The findings expose the miserable state of educational sector in Pakistan, where the Pakistani Taliban shot 15 years old Malala Yousifzai, the educational activist, in October to silence her campaign for the right to an education. A recent UN report shows that nearly three quarters of young Pakistani girls are not enrolled in schools, 55 percent of all Pakistani adults are illiterate, and the illiteracy rate in females is about 75 percent.. Apart from the life threats, the harmful psychological impacts of prolonged conflicts affected thousands of children in the war-torn region.

http://images.thenews.com.pk/27-01-2013/ethenews/e-156528.htm

Methodology, constraints and limitations of the data for 2010 are given in the

annexure, but the subject also merits a deeper look.

Table-1 below compares the increase or decrease in numbers and percentages  of            TAAC which resulted in killing of children reported and recorded in 2012.

Table 1

A detailed analysis shows that an increase was reported in the TAAC which resulted in killing of  45 children  in the second bi-annual in comparison to the first bi-annual in 2012 resulting in killing of 96 children. Which means a 68,08% rise in the second bi-annual which is really alarming. The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that increasing number of children were killed in all provinces including FATA. Punjab, can particularly be mentioned as the first child was killed in a terrorist attack in the second bi-annual of 2012. The increase in the number of reported TAAC in provices like Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan indicates that the territories/areas which were considered to be out of the reach of terrorists have now been faced with a real threat particularly the metropolitan city of Karachi where the terrorists attacks against children are on rise. The over-all statistics show that KP and FATA have been mainly the target of terrorist attacks against children where 84,44% of children were killed in the first bi-annual and  79,16 % of children were killed in the second bi-annual in Pakistan.

Table 1: Total Number & Percentages/ Province-wise breakdown of CHILDREN killed  and bi-annual 2012

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Khyber PK	9	20	44	45,83	+66,03
Punjab	0	0	1	1,04	+100
Sind	3	6,66	11	11,45	+57,15
Balochistan	5	11,11	8	8,33	+23,07
FATA	29	64,44	32	33,33	+4,91
Grand Total	45	100%	96	100%	+68,08

Table-2: below compares the increase or decrease in numbers and percentages  of           TAAC which resulted in injuring of children reported and recorded in 2012.

Similarly, A detailed analysis shows  43 children  in the second half bi-annual in comparison to the first half bi-annual in 2012 resulting in injuring of 164 children. Which means a 79,22% rise in the second half of bi-annual which is alarming. The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that increasing number of children were injured in all provinces including FATA with particular exception of Balochistan which shows a 46,87 of decrease. Punjab and Sindh can particularly be mentioned as  7 and 3 children were injured respectively in several terrorist attacks in the second half of bi-annual of 2012. The over-all statistics show that KP and FATA have been mainly the target of terrorist attacks against children where 60,46% of children were injured in the first half of bi-annual and  84,75,16 % of children were injured in the second bi-annual in Pakistan.

Table 2: Total Number & Percentages / Province-wise breakdown of  CHILDREN injured and bi-annual 2012

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Khyber PK	8	18,60	65	39,63	+89,04
Punjab	0	0	7	4,26	+85,72
Sind	0	0	3	1,82	+66,66
Balochistan	17	39,43	15	9,14	-46,87
FATA	18	41,86	74	45,12	+80,43
Grand Total	43	100%	164	100%	+79,22

Table-3: below compares the increase or decrease in numbers and percentages  of           TAAS which resulted in destruction of Schools reported and recorded in 2012.

A detailed analysis shows that an increase was reported in the TAAS which resulted in destruction of   62 schools  in the second half of bi-annual in comparison to the first half bi-annual in 2012 resulting in destruction of  29 schools. Which means a 68,13% rise in the second half of bi-annual which indicates an alarming trend. The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that increasing number of children were killed in all provinces including FATA.

Punjab,  Sindh and Balochistan were mostly spared in TAAS as no attack was reported in the frist and second bi-annual in Punjab and Sindh while a sole attack was reported in the first bi-annual of 2012 in Balochistan. The over-all statistics show that KP and FATA have been the main target of terrorist attacks against on Schools where 96,54% of schools were destroyed in the first half of bi-annual and  100 % of schools were destroyed in the second half of  bi-annual in Pakistan.

Table 3: Total Number & Percentages of  Province-wise breakdown of major attacks on schools  and bi-annual 2012

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAS during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Khyber PK	20	68,96	37	59,67	+29,83
Punjab	0	0	0	0,00	0,00
Sind	0	0	0	0,00	0,00
Balochistan	1	3,44	0	0,00	-100
FATA	8	27,58	25	40,32	+51,51
Grand Total	29	100%	62	100%	68,13

Territorial Distribution of VAC attacks in Pakistan:

Table-4 below showing overall statistics with percentages of VAC attacks, further corroborates the above analysis.The data collected and presented below in tabular form shows more than twothirds of

the total cases of VAW ocurred in Punjab. The province reported 5,492 cases out of a

total of 8000 cases of VAW recorded from all over the country. This gives the largest province a

manifest lead with 68.65 % of all the known cases of VAW. Sindh followed Punjab with 1652 or

20.65% of the total, maintaining its last year’s level. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa reported only 650 or

8.13% of the total. In Balochistan, the total number of VAW offences is 79 or only 0.98% of the

overall statistics. Islamabad, alarmingly enough, again reported 127 cases, contributing 1.59% to

the national total of cases of VAW. The capital city of Pakistan is known for its high security

e+nvironment, urban facilities and a concentration of support and judicial services. Still,

Overview of VAC attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa borders Afghanistan to the northwest, Gilgit-Baltistan to the northeast,

Azad Jammu & Kashmir to the east, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to the west and south, and Punjab and the Islamabad Capital Territory to the southeast. The principal

language is Pashto and the provincial capital is Peshawar.

KP is divided into three administrative regions areas: Settled Areas, the Provincially

Administered Tribal Areas (PATA), and the Federal Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The

famous Khyber Pass links the province to Afghanistan, while the Kohala Bridge is a major

crossing point over the Jhelum River to Azad Kashmir in the east. The province has an area of

28,773 square miles (or 74,521 square kms.) and includes Hazara Division, the western point of the Karakoram Highway.The region varies in topography from dry rocky areas in the south to forests and green plains in the north. The climate can be extreme with intensely hot summers to freezing cold winters. Despite these extremes in weather, agriculture remains important and viable in the area.

According to the 1998 census, the population of KP was approximately 17 million, of whom

52% are males and 48% are females. However, the Population Census Organization estimates

that the population has grown to 23,659,639 in 2011, contributing 13% to the total population of the country. Some manufacturing and high tech investments in Peshawar have helped improve job prospects for locals, and trade occupies a significant place in the economy of the province.

The participants of a consultation hosted by the British High Commissioner Adam Thomson in Islamabad, said three million children, including two million girls, weren’t attending school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
They said only half of children go to primary schools in the province and half of the school-going kids drop out later.

In April 2010, the name of the North West Frontier Province was changed to “Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa” by the Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010, which was unanimously passed by both houses of Parliament, namely the National Assembly of Pakistan and the Senate of Pakistan, and received the assent of the President of the country on 19 April 2010.

• http://images.thenews.com.pk/23-06-2012/ethenews/t-15555.htm

The number of ugly TAAC were out of proportion in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, keeping in mind its small area and size of population as compared to Punjab and Sindh. KP has been the hard-hit province along with FATA in Pakistan by the terrorists attacks against Children with 9 children 20%  of the total children killed in Pakistan in the first bi-annual and 44 children killed or 45,83 % of the total killed in Pakistan in the second bi-annual. Which means that 66,03 % increase was reported in the second half of the bi-annual.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Khyber PK	9	20	44	45,83	+66,03

Total number of children injured in the first half of bi-annual in KP were reported to be 8 (18,60%) in the first half and 65 (39,63) in the second bi-annual which shows an incredible increase of 89,04%.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Khyber PK	8	18,60	65	39,63	+89,04

Same was the case with the schools or even worste in KP in camparison to Sindh and Punjab where not a single schools was attacked by terrorists.

More than 20 (68,96%) of the schools were bombed and destroyed in the first half of bi-annual, while 37 (59,67%) were bombed and destroyed in the second bi-annual showing an increase of 29,83 %.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAS during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Khyber PK	20	68,96	37	59,67	+29,83

FATA:

FATA, an abriviation for Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Administratively, FATA is divided into seven political agencies namely Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, North and South Wazirstan, and six Frontier Regions: Peshawar FR, Kohat FR, Bannu FR, D I Khan FR, Tank FR and Lakki Marwat FR.

Professor Arnold J. Toynbee characterizes the region as the “cross-roads” of civilizations. Besides being one of the most important areas of the country mainly owing to its strategic location, it is also one of  “the most sensitive areas in Pakistan and indeed in South Asia. It is spread over an area of 27220 square kilometers and forms about three percent of the territory of Pakistan.

Although a part of Pakistan, the writ of the government is weak and in name only in FATA. The British colonial power which had conquered wide swathes of territories in Asia and Africa could not subdue the “Wild West,” regions, straddling a thin wedge between India and Afghanistan Hence they gave them autonomy and kept them as a buffer between British India and Russia.

According to a 1998 national census, FATA has a population of nearly 5.7 million, but presently, according to un-official figures its population is approximately 7 million. The area covered by it is  27,220 sq kms with a porous border of 450 kms with Afghanistan. The literacy rate is 16 per while female literacy is less than one percent. Nearly 66 per cent of households live below the poverty line. According to a WHO report of 2001 nearly 50 per cent of tribesmen are living in abject poverty, 75 per cent have no access to clean drinking water. Problems of infant and maternal mortality are severe.

Before 1956, FCR covered the whole of the ancient NWFP (now KP); but through an amendment, the settled districts of the province were exempted from FCR. Similarly, FCR was abolished in 1973 in Balochistan. The rest of the Tribal Areas, namely the Agencies of Mohmand, Kurram, Khyber, Bajaur, Orakzai, North Wazirstan, South Wazirstan, and the adjoining areas of Kohat, Peshawar, Bannu, Lakki , Tank and Dera Ismail Khan Districts were declared as FATA and were covered by the black law of FCR. FATA is governed directly by the Federal Government.

The number of ugly TAAC were out of proportion in FATA , keeping in mind its small area and size of population as compared to Punjab, Balochistan, KP and Sindh. FATA has been the most hard-hit region along with KP Province in Pakistan by the terrorists attacks against Children with 29 children  killed or 64,44%  of the total children killed in Pakistan in the first bi-annual and 32 children killed or 33,33 % of the total killed in Pakistan in the second bi-annual. Which means that 04,91 % increase was reported in the second half of the bi-annual. Keeping in mind the already catastrophic situation in the first half the % increase which seems to be less is very high when we look at the statistics of the previous first half of bi-annual of 2012.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
FATA	29	64,44	32	33,33	+4,91

Total number of children injured in the first half of bi-annual in FATA were reported to be 18 or (41,86%) of the national average in the first half and 74 (45,43%) in the second bi-annual which shows an incredible increase of 80,40%.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
FATA	18	41,86	74	45,12	+80,43

Same was the case with the schools or even worste in FATA in camparison to Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab where not a single schools was attacked by terrorists.

More than 8  or (27,58% of national average) of the schools were bombed and destroyed in the first half of bi-annual, while 25 (40,32%)of the national average were bombed and destroyed in the second bi-annual showing an increase of 51,51 %.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAS during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
FATA	8	27,58	25	40,32	+51,51

Overview of VAC attacks in Balochistan:

Judged by its surface area, Balochistan is the largest of the four provinces of Pakistan at 347,190 square kms, or 134,051 square miles, which comprises approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. However, the population density is very low due to the barren mountainous terrain and scarcity of water. The Population Census Organization estimates for 2011 show the population of Balochistan to be 8,775,048, orapproximately 5% of thetotal population of the country. According to the 2008 Pakistan Statistical Year Book, households whose primary language is Balochi represent 54.8% of Balochistan’s population; 29.6% households speak Pashto; 5.6% speak Sindhi; 2.5% speak Punjabi; 2.4% speak Seraiki; 1.0% speak Urdu; and 4.1% speak other languages. Balochistan is not only the largest province of Pakistan, but it is also the poorest and least populated. The southern region is known as Makran. The central region is known as Kalat.

The capital city, Quetta, is located in the most densely populated district in the northeast of the province. It is situated in a river valley near the border with Afghanistan, with a road to

Kandahar in the northwest. At Gwadar on the coast of the Arabian Sea, the PakistaniGovernment has built a large port with Chinese help.

Balochistan culture is primarily tribal, deeply patriarchal and conservative. Baloch society is

dominated by tribal chieftains called Mirs, Sardars and Nawabs, who are the ruling elite of the province. ‘Honour’ killings are commonplace but discouraged by the majority of the population.

The economy of the province is largely based upon the production of natural gas, coal and

minerals. Balochistan’s share of the national economy has ranged between 3.7% to 4.9%. Since 1972, Balochistan’s economy has grown in size 2.7 times. Balochistan is rich in mineral

resources and is the second major supplier of natural gas after the Sindh province. It is located at the southeastern edge of the Iranian plateau. It strategically bridges the Middle East and

Southwest Asia with Central Asia and South Asia, and its coastline is the closest oceanic link for the land-locked countries of Central Asia. The Sulaiman Mountains dominate the northeast with the Bolan Pass providing a natural route into Afghanistan towards Kandahar. Much of the province south of the Quetta region is sparse desert terrain with pockets of towns mostly near rivers and streams.

Balochistan was the third hard-hit region, keeping in mind its small size of population as compared to Punjab, Sindh and KP. The terrorists attacks against Children in Balochistan were reported to be 5 children killed or (11,11%)  of the national average in Pakistan in the first bi-annual and 8 children killed or 8,33 % of the total killed in Pakistan in the second bi-annual. Which means that 23,07 % increase was reported in the second half of the bi-annual.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Balochistan	5	11,11	8	8,33	+23,07

Total number of children injured in the first half of bi-annula in KP were reported to be 8 (18,60%) in the first half and 65 (39,63) in the second bi-annual which shows an incredible increase of 89,04%.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Balochistan	17	39,43	15	9,14	-46,87

Same was the case with the schools or even worste in KP in camparison to Sindh and Punjab where not a single schools was attacked by terrorists.

More than 20 (68,96%) of the schools were bombed and destroyed in the first half of bi-annual, while 37 (59,67%) were bombed and destroyed in the second bi-annual showing an increase of 29,83 %.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAS during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Balochistan	1	3,44	0	0,00	-100

Overview of VAC attacks in Punjab:

The Indus Valley Civilization spanned much of what is today Pakistan and eventually evolved

into the Indo-Aryan civilization. This civilization shaped subsequent cultures in South Asia and Afghanistan. In history and pre-history, Punjab occupies an important place as part of the Indus Valley Civilization, with the city of Harappa being an important citadel around 4000 BC. Punjab is the most populated, prosperous, industrialized and urbanized province of Pakistan. Its people are characterized by their outgoing, industrious and initiative-taking nature. Its strong agricultural base sustained by a sophisticated irrigation system gave birth to a feudal economy that is still largely intact. It was Punjab thatconstituted the last frontier of the South Asian subcontinent and faced the onslaught of invaders from Central Asia through centuries. As a result, it became a melting pot of races. In the face of constant periods of turmoil, intermittent with relatively short period of peace, its people have developed many skills for survival, many praiseworthy and many not so praiseworthy.

Punjab has been known as the “Land of the Five Rivers” since ancient times. The name Punjab  literally translates from the Persian words Panj, meaning five, and Aabmeaning water. The province is the most fertile region of Pakistan situated along river valleys and has been named after the five rivers of Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej. With about 56% of Pakistan’s total population Punjab is the country’s most populous province.

Punjab has been the cradle of civilization since times immemorial. The ruins of Harappa show an advanced urban culture that flourished over 8000 years ago. Taxila, or Takshashila of olden times is another historic landmark, and also stands out as a proof of the achievements of the area in learning, arts and crafts in bygone ages. The great Indian scholar of 4th century B.C. and the author of the famous treatise on diplomacy and statecraft, Arthashastra, Chanakya, also called Kautilya, hailed from Taxila. The ancient Hindu Katasraj temple and the Salt Range temples are testament to its history.

Punjab is Pakistan’s second largest province at 205,344 km² (79,284 mi²) after Balochistan and is located at the northwestern edge of the geologic Indian plate in South Asia. The provincial capital is Lahore, which is also the largest metropolis in northern Pakistan. Other important cities include Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Jhelum and Rawalpindi.

It is the only province in Pakistan that has contiguous borders with all the provinces. The federal capital Islamabad, which is treated as federal territory, lies within the territories of this province in its northern part. The region also contains the Cholistan desert. Agriculture continues to be the largest sector of Punjab’s economy. The province is the breadbasket of the country. Since there has been no large-scale redistribution of agricultural land, most rural areas are dominated by a small set of land-owning families. Its canal irrigation system established by the British is the largest in the world.

Despite the absence of a coastline, Punjab is the most industrialized province of Pakistan. Since the 1950s, Punjab industrialized rapidly, and new factories came up in Lahore, Multan, Sialkot and Wah. In the 1960s the new city of Islamabad was built near Rawalpindi. Starting in the 1980s large numbers of Punjabis migrated to the Middle EAst, Britain, Spain, Canada and the United States in search of better economic opportunities.

Keeping in mind its large area and size of population as compared to other provinces Punjab has been relatively saved from the scars of terrorism on children. Punjab has been mildly hit region in Pakistan by the terrorists attacks against Children with 1 child 1,04%  of the total children killed in Pakistan in the second bi-annual and o children killed or 0,00% of the total killed in Pakistan in the first bi-annual. Which means that 100 % increase was reported in the second half of the bi-annual 2012.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Punjab	0	0	1	1,04	+100

Not a single children injured in the first half of bi-annual in Punjab while 7 were injured or  (04,26%) of the national average were reported in the second bi-annual which shows an incredible increase of 85,72%. It is to be noted that the rulers and Establishement in Punjab has a soft corner for the Talibans, anti-India organisations and some terrorist bands like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in Pakistan and as a result there was some calm in this province but the situation is changing and even this province is being targeted by the terrorists. Which means that promoting terrorism in the region and thinking that you will be saved yourself is to live in the paradise of fools.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Punjab	0	0	7	4,26	+85,72

Not a single TAAS was reported in Punjab in the year 2012.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAS during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Punjab	0	0	0	0,00	0,00

Overview of VAC attacks in Sindh:

Geographically, Sindh is the third largest province of Pakistan, stretching about 579 km from

north to south and 442 km (extreme) or 281 km (average) from east to west, with an area of

140,915 square kilometres (54,408 sq mi) of Pakistani territory. Sindh is bounded by the Thar

Desert to the east, the Kirthar Mountains to the west, and the Arabian Sea in the south. In the

centre is a fertile plain around the Indus River. Sindh is located on the western corner of South Asia, bordering the Iranian plateau in the west. The neighbouring regions of Sindh are

Balochistan to the west and north, Punjab to the north, Gujarat and Rajasthan to the southeast

and east, and the Arabian Sea to the south. The coast of Sindh boasts the two major ports of

Pakistan, Karachi and Port Qasim, which handle the quasi-totality of Pakistani trade.

Sindh is the cradle of the Indus Valley Civilisation. As Hamida Khuhro, the Sindhi historian

comments, “Sind’s is an ancient civilization, one of the oldest in the world. A contemporary of Sumer and Akked in Mesopotamia, it is a corner of the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent where the ancient Sindhi had created a powerful culture, which centred on Moenjodaro in upper Sind and its periphery which extended north to Kashmir and south to Gujerat. A highly sophisticated urban system existed with a flourishing trade with its contemporary civilization in Mesopotamia and and further afield. The Indus civilization flowered approximately two thousand years ago before the Aryans invaded northern India with their primitive tribal and pastoral culture8.”

The 1998 Census of Pakistan indicated a population of 30.4 million. However, in 2011 the

population, is estimated at 40,589,003 according to Population Census Organization, but many dispute this estimate and consider it to be above 52 million. In fact, the lack of correct and reliable statistics in the absence of regular census distorts all planning and economic decisions.

Just under half the population are urban dwellers, mainly found in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpur Khas, Nawabshah District, Umerkot and Larkana. Sindhi is the sole official language of Sindh since the 19th century. According to the 2008 Pakistan Statistical Year Book, Sindhi speaking households make up 59.7% of Sindh’s population; Urdu-speaking households make up 21.1%; Punjabi 7.0%; Pashto 4.2%; Balochi 2.1%; Seraiki 1.0% and other languages 4.9%.

Agriculture is very important in Sindh with cotton, rice, wheat, sugar cane, bananas, and

mangoes as the most important crops. Sindh is the richest province in the natural resources of

gas, petrol, and coal. Endowed with coastal access, Sindh is a major centre of economic activity in Pakistan and has a highly diversified economy, ranging from heavy industry and finance centered in and around Karachi to a substantial agricultural base along the Indus. Manufacturing includes machine products, cement, plastics, and various other goods.

Sindh has the second largest economy in Pakistan. Historically, Sindh’s contribution to Pakistan’s GDP has been between 30% to 32.7%. Its share in the service sector has ranged from 21% to 27.8% and in the agriculture sector from 21.4% to 27.7%. Performance wise, its best sector is the manufacturing sector, where its share has ranged from 36.7% to 46.5% [15].Since 1972, Sindh’s

GDP has expanded by 3.6 times.

Sindh has been the third hard hit province in Pakistan by the terrorists attacks against Children with 3 children or 6,66%  of the total children killed in Pakistan in the first bi-annual and 11 children killed or 11,45 % of the total killed in Pakistan in the second bi-annual. Which means that 57,15 % increase was reported in the second half of the bi-annual.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Sind	3	6,66	11	11,45	+57,15

Total number of children injured in the first half of bi-annual in Sindh were reported to be 0  in the first half and 3 or (1,82) of the national average in the second bi-annual which shows an incredible increase of 66,66%.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAC during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Sind	0	0	3	1,82	+66,66

Not a single TAAS was reported in Sindh and Punjab provices.

Province	1st Bi-annual (Jan-June2012)	%	2nd Bi-Annual (July – Dec 2012)	%	Percentage increase/decrease in cases of TAAS during the 1st and 2nd half of the year 2012
Sind	0	0	0	0,00	0,00

SECOND BI-ANNUAL REPORT (January-June)

JANUARY REPORT

01-01-2012

A girl, identified as Hajra Bibi, was killed and three persons, two among them members of an anti-TTP lashkar, were injured when a bomb planted by suspected militants in a sewerage line in Tarano Kalli bazaar of Bajaur Agency exploded. 

02-01-2012

At least five children were injured in a land mine explosion in the Sui area of Dera Bugti District.

03-01-2012

Two alleged suicide bombers blew themselves up near Gorali locality of Gujrat town in Gujrat District of Punjab. According to Police, two alleged suicide bombers, identified as Ramzan Ali and Muhabbat Khan of Bhimber in PoK, wearing suicide jackets were heading towards their target on a motorcycle when they heard the sound of siren of the Rescue 1122 ambulance.

04-01-2012

Militants bombed the house of Haji Muhammad Saleem, a tribal leader from Sada area of Kurram Agency injuring two of Saleem’s daughters, two other children and his brother Malik Sardar were killed.

05-01-2012

The construction of 22 school buildings to replace structures destroyed by militants in Swat should be completed by the end of January, Shakeel Qadir Khan, Managing Director, PDMA said.

10-01-2012

One child was killed another two got injured when a mortar shell landed in a playground in Spin Qabar area. (Check newspapers)

11-01-2012

1. Khyber: more than 30 persons were killed and 60 injured including women and children in a pick-up bomb explosion in Zakha Khel area of Jamrud, Khyber Agency.
2. A grand Jirga of Utmankhel Qaumi Movement demanded complete educational facilities for girls at Utmankhel Tapa in Bajaur, Malakand and Mohmand agencies.

12-01-2012

1. Five people, including four children and a woman were killed when a mortar shell fell on a house in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency.
2. Seven people were injured when unidentified militants blew up a CD shop by planting and triggering off an IED at a sewage line near the Ali CD Centre on Nowshera Road in Charsadda District. 
3. The local TTP set ablaze over a dozen computers, television sets, cellular phones and several cassettes in the Wana bazaar of South Waziristan Agency in FATA. The TTP led by Maulvi Nazeer said they had already banned using television and computers for watching movies and music and carrying cellular phones with cameras.

16-01-2012

Karachi: Police found the dead body of a teenager boy, identified as Shahzaib Baloch (17), from Mawatch Goth within the jurisdiction of Mauripur Police Station in Karachi.

17-01-2012

Police found an unidentified seven-day-old dead body of a young man from the Lyari Expressway area within the limits of Shershah Police Station in Karachi. Police said the victim appeared to be Baloch and had several torture marks and had received a bullet in his head. 

18-01-2012

Unknown armed militants shot dead a youth, identified as Sardar Muhammad, at Killi Kashmirabad area near Sariab Police Station in Quetta.

24-01-2012

A CD shop was destroyed completely when explosive went off in a market in Dagai village of Landi Kotal. Two other adjacent shops were also damaged. Nobody was hurt in the incident. 

28-01-2012

An unidentified young man was shot dead near Mehmand Hotel, Lyari within the limits of Baghdadi Police Station. The victim appeared to be Mianwali.

SCHOOLS BOMBED AND DESTROYED:

03-01-2013

Militants blew up a Government primary school for boys in Gurbaz Gagezai area of Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency. An unnamed spokesman for TTP Mohmand chapter claimed responsibility for the attack.

06-01-2012

1. Militants bombed science laboratory of Government High School in Miramshah of North Waziristan Agency in FATA in the night.
2. Militants blow up a Government girls’ school in Ibrahimzai area of Charsadda District by triggering an IED.

11.01.2013

1. A High school has been bombed in Zakhakhel area.
2. A girls Middle school in Mattani Adizai area of Peshawar has been bombed for the third time.
3. Unidentified militants blew up a primary school for girls at Shagai village in Razaartehsil of Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

20-01-2012

Militants blew up a government primary school for boys at Bacha Mayna in Landikotal near the Torkham border at around 8:30pm.

FEBRUARY REPORT

02-02-2012

Two boys were injured after one of them stepped on a landmine during a football match in Akhorwal area of Darra Adamkhel town in the Kohat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

04-02-2012

Unidentified assailants shot dead an eight-year-old boy in Peerokhel area of Landikotal in Khyber Agency of FATA. The boy was carrying a patient along with other family members to hospital when the assailants asked them to stop their car. The driver did not stop the vehicle, prompting the attackers to open fire. The boy was killed in the attack.

08-02-2012

At least four people, including a child, were injured in a hand grenade attack on Zarghoon Road area near the Saryab Bridge in Quetta.

13-02-2012

Two children, identified as Liaquat Ali and Bashir Ahmed, were killed and 21 others, including Dera Murad Jamali additional SHO, Rasool, were injured in a remote-controlled bomb blast in Dera Murad Jamali area of Naseerabad District. BRA claimed responsibility for the attack.

19-02-2012

A mortar shell fired from an unidentified location landed in the house of one Abdalkhel, killing two children and injuring five others at Sheen Drand area of Akkakhel in Bara tehsil.  

23-02-2012

At least 15 people, including two children, were killed and 38 injured when in a car bomb attack at bus stand on Peshawar-Kohat Road in Peshawar.

26-02-2012

Three children and a woman were killed while two women received injuries when a mortar shell fell on a house in Akkakhel area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency. 

29-02-2012

1. Two women and a child were killed when a bomb ripped through their vehicle on the outskirts of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA. “
2. Eight persons, including women and children, were injured when a mortar shell, fired by a rival group, fell on the house of local militant ‘commander’ Salamat in Sturikhel area of the Agency.

SCHOOLS BOMBED AND DESTROYED:

03-02-2012

Unidentified militants blew up the Government Girls’ Primary School in Kotla Saeedan area of Dera Ismail Khan District.

24-02-2012

A major part of the Government primary school for boys was destroyed in a bomb blast in Khat Killay area of Swabi District while bomb disposal squad defused another homemade device at the site.

28-02-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government primary school Mir Aftab Kohtay at Aman Kote village in Swabi District.  

29-02-2012

1. Unidentified militants blew up the sub-campus of Abdul Wali Khan University at Palosa area in Charsadda District.
2. Militants blew up a Government primary school in Dalazak area of Shabqadar tehsil.

MARCH REPORT

03-03-2012

A Policeman and a five-year old girl were killed when a suicide bomber attacked the motorcade of former Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao near Kangra village soon after he left the venue of a public meeting in nearby Battagram village of Shabqadar tehsil in Charsadda District.

08-03-2012

Peshawar: At Wakho Brigde on Kohat road three persons including a child were killed in a romote controlled blast.

Kulachi: A bomb blast in Muhallah Jafarzai of Kulachi resulted in injuring of two girls.

11-03-2012

Quetta: Four persons at Sui was fired upon resulting in killing of two children among 6 killed.

13-03-2012

Parachinar: A passanger coach No. 2189 driven by Salman of Tori Bangash tribe was targeted with a remote controlled bomb resuling in killing of 2 civilians and injuring of 21 including  3 children and 4 women.

16-03-2012

Peshawar: A suicide bomber between the age of 16 and 20 exloded himself while running towards the vehicle of Syed Abdul Kalam SSP Rural reslting in his death along with 4 injured.

17-03-2012

Three women were killed in a roadside bomb explosion, while two others sustained injuries at Mundi Kas area in Bara tehsil.

18-03-2012

SFs resorted to indiscriminate firing and shelling in Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan Agency, killing five civilians, one of them a child, after two military convoys were attacked.

24-03-2012

At least three devotees, including a tribal leader, were killed and nine others, including women and children, sustained injuries when their vehicle, owned by local tribal leader Muhammad Nawaz, was attacked by a group of unidentified militants in Tambo tehsil of Kohlu District.

SCHOOLS BOMBED AND DESTROYED:

06-03-2012

LANDIKOTAL : A state-run Primary school was blown up in Malik Jafar Abad Kelly in Landikotal.

Jamrud: Governemnt Boys Degree college Jamrud was bombed resulting in damaging the two main gates of the college.

10-03-2012

Swabi: Frontier Education Foundation college for Women Topi was bombed by terrorists resulting in damnage to two rooms.

16-03-2012

Two state controlled schools were destroyed by militants in Dodha and Zer Janu area of Laki Marwat.

17-03-2012

Two schools one each in Kohat and Swabi were bombed and destroyed by Taliban.

20-03-2012

A Government primary school at Log Khel Lakki Marwat was completely destroyed by a bomb planted in its building.

31-03-2012

In Ibrahim Zai area of Charsadda a government Primary School no. 2 was bombed and destroyed.

APRIL REPORT

SCHOOLS BOMBED AND DESTROYED:

05-04-2012

NowsheraTaru Jaba: A Girls Primary school Arban Dheri was bombed and destroyed by terrorists in Taru Jaba in Nowshera.

10-04-2012

A government Primary school Khordezai Pabbi was blown up by terrorists by a time bomb.

MAY REPORT

07-05-2012

Miran Shah: A shell fell  on a house in  Zafar Town near Miran Shah Bazar resulting in injuring of a girl and her mother.

Kurrum: 3 women including 9 persons were injured when militants (terrorists) opened fire on them in Ara wali area of Sakhti Ahmad shah village in Lower Kurram agency.

08-05-2012

Miranshah: Two boys were killed in gunship helicopters firings in Miran Shah.

11-05-2012

Four children – one girl and three boys – were killed and two women got injured on May 11 when a mortar slammed into their pick-up truck in the Qamberabad area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA.

14-05-2012

Two civilians and two FC persons were killed, while 58 others, including 11 FC personnel, two children and a woman, were injured when a car bomb exploded as a FC convoy passed by in the Almo Chowk area of Quetta.

29-05-2012

Parachinar:  Two women and one child named Jamshed Hussain were injured when militants open fired on a coach bound for Peshawar from Kurram Agency.

SCHOOLS BOMBED AND DESTROYED:

07-05-2012

Wana: In Kari Kot area of Janan Kot a girls Middle school was destroyed  by two bombs by terrorists .

Mohmand Agency: A primary school was completely destroyed in several explosions  in Halimzai Tehsil.

JUNE REPORT

07-06-2012

At least 15 people, including five children, were killed and more than 48 got injured in a remote-controlled bomb blast outside a madrassa, Jamia Islamia Miftahul Uloom, near Bank Chowk on Sariab Link Road in Quetta. Majority of the victims were students of the madrassa.

09-06-2012

CHASADDA: 6 women and a child were killed and 56 injured including women and children in a Charsada bound bus at Peshawar.

17-06-2012

Landikotal: 4 school going children and women were killed in a bomb explosion at a bus stop in Jamrud.

Kohat: a child was killed in a bomb explosion in a bus station in Kohat.

22-06-2012

Peshawar : Two children (a  16 years old girl Sunbul & an 11 year old boy Muzamel Shah) were killed and  6 women were injured in a bomb explosion in a Shrine (Panjpir) near Peshawar.

28-06-2012

At least 15 persons, including two policemen and a woman, were killed and 30 others, including women and children, sustained injuries in a suicide attack on a bus of pilgrims coming from Iran, at Hazar Ganji area of Quetta.

SCHOOLS BOMBED AND DESTROYED:

18-06-2012

At least five students and one professor were killed, while around 30 were injured when a powerful blast occurred near an IT University located in Jinnah Town of Quetta, 

29-06-2012

Khyber Agency: A government Primary school was blown up by terrorists in Aka Khel area of Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency.

Matani: A school was blown up by Terrorists in Ghazi Abad area of Matani near Peshawar.

30-06-2012

Mardan: A girls High School was partially damaged in a bomb blast planted in the school in Shahbaz Ghari in the outskirts of Mardan.

MONTHLY REPORTS (July-December 2012)

The month of December was as deadly as the previous months in which at least 18 children were killed and 33 injured in terrorists attacks. At least 9 schools including a geology department of Peshawar University was bombed by the Taliban and terrorist bands in Pakistan.

CHILDREN TARGET OF TERRORIST ATTACKS:

05-12-2012

Bannu: A car-bomb attack on a Police station Huved resulted in injuring of  a child and two women in the neighboring houses including 5 police men.

06-12-2012

One of the persons injured in the suicide blast at a mourning procession taken out from the Imambargah (Shia place of commemoration) Qasar-e-Shabbir in Dhok Syedan area on Misrial Road in Rawalpindi District in the night of November 21, succumbed to his injuries raising the death toll to 21. As reported earlier, at least 20 mourners, including two minors, were killed and more than 30, including three Police personnel and five children, were wounded in the blast.

09-12-2012

The Principal of Al Salfia Residential College, identified as Habibullah Mujahid, who had been missing on July 26 2012, on Airport Road of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, returned home.

12-12-2012

At least, two teenage brothers, identified as, Tauqeer Abbas (16) and Zaheer Abbas (14), were injured when a bomb exploded at Dhoke Inayat in Pindigheb town.

15-12-2012

a)      Bannu : A girl child and her mother were injured in a toy bomb explosion. The toy bomb exploded when the girl was playing with it and lost both of hers palms. Many more children would have been the victims if the girl would have gone to school the same day. She could not go to school due to rain. (express)

b)      A teenage girl, who suffered serious injuries in the bomb blast in Makan Bagh area of Mingora town in Swat District on December 4, died at a hospital in Peshawar. Sixteen-year-old Savera was a victim among the six injured in the blast at her house.

c)      The unidentified assailants had planned to plant the bomb at the house of Kainat, one of the two friends of Malala Yusufzai, but had mistakenly placed it near another house in the neighbourhood.

16-12-2012

Peshawar : Taliban fired several rockets on different installations in Peshawar causing damage to Secondary Board Peshawar, Airport and civilian targets. 6 Women and 3 children are reported to have been injured. 6 killed and 45 injured.

17-12-2012

At least 19 persons, among them women and children, were killed and 71 others injured when a powerful car bomb ripped through the Jamrud bazaar in Khyber Agency of FATA.

18-12-2012

a)      Two children and three women were killed in a bomb blast in Jamrod tehsil of Khyber Agency. Jang

b)      KARACHI: Gunmen in Pakistan have killed six health workers at the start of a nationwide polio vaccination drive, officials said Tuesday, highlighting resistance to a campaign opposed by the Taliban.

c)      Four female workers of the anti-polio campaign, identified as, Nasima, Kaneez, Fehmida and Madiha, were killed in less than an hour in seemingly coordinated attacks in Karachi on Tuesday, a day after a man working on a local government-World Health Organization (WHO) project was also shot dead in the city, police said.

d)     A sixth worker, also a woman, was killed on Tuesday in Peshawar, which lies close to the tribal areas, a haven for the Taliban and other militants who ordered a ban on polio vaccinations in June.

19-12-2012

Three more health workers, vaccinating children against polio, were shot dead in two separate incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing the total killed this week to eight. Following the attacks, in which eight people have died so far – mostly women, the United Nations and World Health Organization suspended all polio-related activities in Pakistan (NYT).

21-12-2012

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour and at least eight other persons were killed and 17 injured in a suicide bomb explosion in Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar.

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and US Ambassador Richard Olson have condemned the suicide bombing in Peshawar on December 22, 2012 that killed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa senior minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour and eight other persons.

26-12-2012 

a)      At least two persons, including a Security man and a teenage girl were killed and four others, including two children were injured in separate incidents in Khyber Agency of FATA.

b)       A teenage girl was killed when SFs raided a house in Ghundi Abdalkhel area in Jamrud. Local sources said that forces raided the house of Tila Baz to arrest him for his alleged contacts with the militants. A teenage daughter of Tila Baz was killed in gunfight between the inmates of the house and SFs, they added.

27-12-2012

 Khyber Agency: A morter shell fell on the house of Masit Khan   at village Sipah of Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency resulting in injuring of two women and two children named Asim and Asad.

28-12-2012 

Charsada: 5 Persons including 3 children were killed in 3 bomb explosions in Charsada district of KPK.

29-12-2012

Peshawar : Two teachers Dr. Asghar and Naveed Anjum and girl student  Samana of Geology department of University of Peshwar were injured in a bombed explosion at the building of the concerned department which also resulted in the damage to the building.

30-12-2012

a)      Karachi:  6 persons were killed  including a boy and  54 were injured including 3 women and 2 children in a bus bomb blast at Cantt Station at Karachi. (Express)

b)      Bara: A woman and two children were injured when a shell hit the house of Gul Marjan in Yousaf Talab area. The children were admitted to a hospital in Peshawar whereas the woman succumbed to her injuries before getting any treatment.

c)      Three women were killed and six children sustained injuries when mortar shells struck three houses in Sepah area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency. The sources said that two shells landed at the houses of Alfat Khan and his nephew Bagh Wali in the Yousaf Talab area in Bara in which their wives were killed and two children were critically injured.

d)      A woman was killed and four children sustained injuries after a mortar shell hit the house of one Asadullah in Gandaw area.

31-12-2012

a)      Bara : A man his wife and his sons were injured in a mortel shell attack which fell on thier house in Jamrud.

b)      Hunar Baz his wife and  two sons  Attaullah and Samin and two daughter were killed when a bombed fell on their house in Tirah, Malakdin Khel area.

c)      In another accident Ashraf Khan his wife,  5 daughters, 2 daughters in laws and 3 grandsons were killed. His mother including 4 others were injured.

SCHOOLS BOMBED & DESTROYED BY TERRORISTS :

04-12-2012

Militants blew up a boys’ primary school at the Tog Sarai School in Hangu town of same District. Homemade bombs damaged two rooms but killed nobody at the Tog Sarai School, which educates more than 350 students.

05-12-2012

A Government school for boys in Yakaghund tehsil of Mohmand Agency was destroyed in a bomb blast.

11-12-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government girls’ primary school in the Aka Khel area of Bara Tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA. The total number of the destroyed Government schools in Khyber Agency has gone beyond 80.

12-12-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government girls’ primary school at the Nazir Shah Kaley area of Akkakhel in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency. The school sustained severe damage, but authorities reported no casualties.

17-12-2012

Nowshera: At Bahram Kili, Risalpur Nowshera militants fired rockets at a Girls Primary School and destroyed it.

21-12-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government girls’ school in Sro Killay area of Shabqadar tehsil in Charsadda District. Further, Police foiled a bid to blow up another girls’ school in Dosehra village.

23-12-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a boys’ school in Sarukhel village in Doaba area of Hangu District. Police said that it was the 4th school blown up in Doaba during the last two months.

27-12-2012

PESHAWAR: The militants blew up a boys’ school in Mushtarzai village in the limits of Badaber Police Station on Wednesday, sources said.
The sources said that explosive devices planted by militants at the Government Primary School for Boys in Mushtarzai went off and destroyed the building.

29-12-2012

Peshawar : Two teachers Dr. Asghar and Naveed Anjum and girl student  Samana of Geology department of University of Peshwar were injured in a bombed explosion at the building of the concerned department which also resulted in the damage to the building.

31-12-2012

Khyber Agency: A school was blown up by terrorists in ghundi area of Jamat tehsil in Khayber Agency. One person in the school was killed in the blast.

Children living under terror in pakistan- monthly report (november)

Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber (IRESK),  a partner of International Alliance against Terrorism (IAAT), fully support the International Advocacy Conference, Stand Up for Malala, organized by UNESCO at Paris.

But, we would like to bring the attention of the UNESCO towards a hard reality that without providing security and protection to the girls who like to go to school, the objectives of Universal Education cannot be achieved.

We are not sure that the girls will enroll in mass in the prevailing atmosphere of fear, where the terrorist factories in North Waziristan region are bent upon producing suicide bombers to kill those innocent civilians and children who demand their right for education, the right to live and the right to express their opinion.

We would like to turn the attention of UNESCO & the Government of Pakistan towards two very recent examples as under:

On November 28, 2012, Police arrested a terrorist named Yahya, from Naurang town in Lakki Marwat District while he was taking three boys, identified as Shah Hussain, Rehan and Mukhtiar Ahmad, to North Waziristan Agency of FATA for training as suicide bombers. The group kidnapped boys before shifting them to North Waziristan Agency for training as suicide bombers.

On October 16, 2012,  Bilal (13) trained as suicide bomber,  resident of Qamberkhel area of the Bara, tehsil in Khyber Agency along with a manipulator named Jehangir, (22), were arrested by Peshawar Police at around 07:00 pm. Police was alerted by the cries of the  teenager for help. “Don’t come near to me, I have the bomb,” Bilal warned the police. The accomplice Jahangir had the suicide jacket trigger device. Policemen snatched the trigger in a very witting exercise.

The severity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that 7000 children are reported to have been abducted in PAKISTAN in 2011.

We cannot be sure of the fruitfulness of the Universal Education until the education system is reformed and modernized in Pakistan.

We cannot be sure of any improvement in schooling in Pakistan, where more than 40000 thousand Madrassas  are spreading the message of Jihad and hate.

The month of November was the deadliest as 16 children were killed and more than 31  injured in different terrorists incidents in Pakistan.

More than 13 schools have been bombed and destroyed by terrorists in FATA and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province in the Month of November.

CHILDREN VICTIMS OF TERRORISM:

01-11-2012

a)      A mortar shell hit a house in Malikdinkhel area of Bara, injuring eight members of a family. It was unclear whether the shell was fired by militants or SFs.

b)      Unidentified assailants killed a girl named Samreen and injured a member of a local peace committee, Fazl Ghani, in Sair Thelegram locality on the outskirts of Malam Jabba area of Swat District in KP.

c)      Three women and a child of the same family were injured when the women stepped on a landmine in Bekhar area of the Dera Bugti District.

02-11-2012

At least 18 people, including seven women and four children, were killed and five others injured as unidentified assailants fired indiscriminately at a local passenger van parked outside a petrol pump in the Jhalawan Complex area of the Khuzdar District of Balochistan.

06-11-2012

The militants of Mullah Nabi Hanfi group stormed the house of Gul Marjan in the Sarakdan area of Hangu District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and killed a relative of Marjan, identified as Abdul Ghafoor, and injured five others, including a woman and children.

12-11-2012

Four children were injured when a shell landed on a house in Zawa area in Akka Khel area.

13-11-2012

Two women and three children were injured when a mortar shell fell on the house of Sarteeb Khan in Khawangi area of Akkakhel.

19-11-2012

A child was killed and two others, including a woman and a child, were injured when militants fired a mortar shell from Ganjgil Top in Afghanistan in a house in Hilal Khel village in Bajaur Agency.

20-11-2012

BAJOR AGENCY : A girl child named Fatima was killed and a women Gul Haya Bibi was injured in a rocket attack fired from Afghanistan in Bajor agency of FATA.

21-11-2012

At least 20 mourners, including two minors, were killed and more than 30, including three Police personnel and five children, were wounded in a suicide blast at a mourning procession taken out from the Imambargah Qasar-e-Shabbir in Dhok Syedan area on Misrial Road in Rawalpindi District of Punjab.

22-11-2012

a)      Two schoolchildren, identified as Inayatullah and Himat Khan, were injured in a mortar shell attack fired from an unknown location at Shaheen Public School in Sheen Drang area of Akkakhel in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency in FATA.

b)      DERA ISMAIL KHAN: At least 9 people including 8 children were killed, while 37 others including 12children were injured in a massive bomb blast that went off near a Muharram procession at Bannu Chungi in Dera Ismail Khan here on Saturday morning, Geo News reported. Talha Nawaz (14), Junaid Nawaz (10), Kalim Nawaz (12) (3 brothers), Mohammad Idris (12), Mohammad Zen (12),  Rizwan (8), Yousof and Waseem. Taliban accepted the responsibility.

28-11-2012

On November 28, 2012, Police arrested a terrorist named Yahya, from Naurang town in Lakki Marwat District while he was taking three boys, identified as Shah Hussain, Rehan and Mukhtiar Ahmad, to North Waziristan Agency of FATA for training as suicide bombers. The group kidnapped boys before shifting them to North Waziristan Agency for training as suicide bombers.

30-11-2012

a)      QUETTA: Two children  identified as Muhammad Hussain (10) and Sanaullah. have been injured in a toy bomb blast on Shah Wakshah road in the provincial capital on Friday.b)      In Kuzchamarkand area of Safi Tehsil of Mohmand Agency, a child was injured in a bomb blast.c)     Enayatullah Afridi  and Naib Subedar, while not on duty received a packet. While opening the packet in presense of his wife and two children it exploded which resulted in killing of Afridi and injuring of his wife and two children.

SCHOOLS BOMBED AND DESTROYED

03-11-2012

A Government primary school for boys was blown up by unidentified militants at Malik Meera Jan Khazina in Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency.

07-11-2012

a)      Militants blew up a Government primary school in Tora Garai area of Pandilai tehsilin Mohmand Agency. No casualties were reported.

b)      Unidentified militants blew up another Government primary school in Shah Baig Yaseen Kore area of Haleemzai tehsil. About 111 educational institutions have been destroyed by suspected militants in Mohmand Agency.

08-11-2012

a)      GHALLANAI: The militants blew up two more government schools in the Mohmand Agency in Yasin Kor in Halimzai Tehsil and Government Malik Abbas Ali Primary School in Pindyali Tehsil by placing explosives inside the schools, the sources said.

b)      Two government schools in Halimzai and Pindyali Tehsils were destroyed by militants at midnight,” an official said.

15-11-2012

A Government primary school for boys was blown up in an IED attack in Nandor village of Tank District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

20-11-2012

Hangu: A Girls Middle school was bombed and destroyed by Taliban in Hangu District of KPK.

22-11-2012

A school was partially damaged in a mortar shell attack fired from an unknown location at Shaheen Public School in Sheen Drang area of Akkakhel in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency in FATA.

23-11-2012

A Government primary school for girls was destroyed when a bomb planted near the building exploded in the Tirahwaal area of Kamal Khel on the outskirts of Kohat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

27-11-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government Girls Middle School in the Chapri area of Hangu District.

24-11-2012

KOHAT: A huge bomb explosion on Friday night at a Government Girls Primary School in Kamal hel area damaged the school’s rooms.

Children living under terror in pakistan- monthly report (october)

Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber (IRESK),  a partner of International Alliance against Terrorism (IAAT) express its deep concern and condemn the monster attack of Taliban on Malala Yousafzai. She got world wide popularity when she publicized the atrocities of Taliban in the picturesque valley of Swat through her blog on BBC urdu Service. The National Peace Award winner, 14 years old Malala Yousafzai, who came under the global spotlight for her activities as Human Rights and Child education Activist was shot twice by a Taliban gunman. Malala was injured along with two other girls Kainat and Shazia. The gunman while boarding the bus taking the children home from school demanded which one of the girls was Malala before shooting twice in her head and neck. She was a clear target and the terrorists succeeded in their heinous desire to silence a voice of peace and enlightenment. The Taliban statement calling her work as OBSCENITY, is really shocking. It was the responsibility of the government of Pakistan to protect her but badly failed. We request the USA, EU, UK and UN to take notice of this brutality and declare the TERRORISM ON CHILDREN as one of the grave child rights violations.

CHILDREN VICTIMS OF TERRORISM:

The month of October can be termed the worst in the history of Pakistan as a courageous child right activist Malala Yousafzai was injured in a brutal attack on October 9, 2012, by Taliban to punish her for her contributions for the rights of the children of Pakistan particularly their right to education. At least 13 children were killed and 42 were injured in several terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Tribal Region of Pakistan known as FATA.

04-10-2012

a)      Unidentified militants (terrorists) killed a FC official and a child in separate incidents in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

b)      Unidentified assailants (terrorists) opened fire in the suburban area of Badhaber, killing one child.

08-10-2012

A child was killed and another 13  people were injured in a blast in Quetta.

09-10-2012

Two children were killed and one was seriously injured in a hand grenade blast in College Town area of Kohat in the same District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

09-10-2012

Malala Yousafzai was injured along with two other girls Shazia and Kainat in a brutal attack by Taliban.

10-10-2012

a)      KALAYA: Four persons, including two women, were killed when a mortar shell hit a house in Mamozai area in Orakzai Agency, tribal sources said. The sources said that the shell hit the house of Sultan Mir in Mir Kadamkhel village in the Taliban-controlled Mamozai area at 10am. Zarif Khan and Khan Muhammad and two women were killed on the spot, they said, adding, Sultan Mir and a child sustained injuries in the attack.

b)      Two children were injured when a mortar shell hit a home in the Akkakhel area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA.

c)      KOHAT: Two brothers were killed and their minor sister sustained injuries in a hand-grenade attack in the College Town in the limits of Saddar Police Station on Tuesday, sources said. 11-10-2012 SIBBI: 11 people were killed including two children and 26 injured in a remote controlled bomb blas in Sibbi. 12-10-2012 a)      Three Shia students, including a girl who was identified as Nabila, were injured when the vehicle carrying them from Kohat to Parachinar came under attack near Durrani area in Kurram Agency. b)      At least 21 people, all of them women and children, were injured in a hand grenade attack during an engagement ceremony in Domail area of Bannu District. 13-10-2012 a)      BANNU: A minor girl among the injured in grenade attacked succumbed to her injuries. b)    Police said that an engagement ceremony was being held last night at the house of Haji Muhammad Liaquat Ali Khan at Domail here, when some unknown persons lobbed a grenade into the house and fled away. The 35 injured women and children were shifted to Khalifa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital and District Headquarter Hospital, where a minor child, 3 succumbed to her injuries.
c)      KOHAT: Two boys were killed and a girl was injured in a hand grenade attack by terrorists at a house in college Town area of Kohat.
d)     KOHAT: Fourteen people were killed and around 40 others, including children, were injured, some of them seriously, when a suicide bomber rammed his car into a market in the semi-autonomous tribal region of Darra Adamkhel on Saturday. 14-10-2012 BANNU: A minor girl was killed and 29 persons including women and children sustained injuries when unidentified persons hurled a hand-grenade into a house in Domail tehsil the other day, local sources said. The sources said there was an engagement ceremony in the house of Malik Liaqat Ali in Pirbakhel village when the grenade was lobbed into the house. 2.  A three-year-old Ujala, daughter of Faridullah, was killed and 29 persons including women and children were wounded. The injured were shifted to the Khalifa Gul Nawaz Memorial Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital. Some of the injured were identified as Amina Bibi, Dilpari Jana, Shazia Bibi, Farhana Bibi, Noreen Bibi, Dishad Bibi, Shamim Bibi, Fozia and Faryal Bibi.

15-10-2012

A 13-year-old boy, Usman, was seriously injured when explosive device went off in Hilalkhel area of Charming in Bajaur Agency of FATA.

16-10-2012

A girl, identified as Hisha Bibi (14), suffered injuries in a rocket attack from across the border on Mina, Sapary and Bandagi villages of Mamond tehsil in Bajaur Agency.

20-10-2012

Quetta:  3 FC men were killed and 11 including women and children were injured in a blast in Saryab road area of Quetta.

22-10-2012

QUETTA: Three people, including two children, received injuries in an incident of firing in Panjgur district.Police said on Sunday that unknown armed men opened fire at a house in Sarikoran area of Panjgur district, leaving three people including two children injured.

25-10-2012

a)    One girl Aisha was killed  and another was injured along with a male child in a bomb explosion in Kermival Kalay in Hangu District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

b)    A child was killed and three others were injured when a mortar shell, fired from an unknown location, landed on a house in Sanzal Khel area of Bara tehsil.

27-10-2012

In Charbagh Telhsil of Swat, the house of Sardar Mohammed a leader of peace Militia was attacked by Taliban in which Sardar was killed his 5 years old son was injured.

SCHOOLS BOMBED AND DESTROYED

In the month of October, at least 9 schools were bombed and destroyed in several terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Tribal Region of Pakistan known as FATA.

01-10-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government Primary School Kamal Khel in Qandaro of Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency, increasing the number of destroyed schools in the agency so far to 104.

02-10-2012

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has reconstructed 30 health facilities in Swat District damaged in militancy.(Which means these 30 hospitals were destroyed by terrorists, which was not reported in media)

03-10-2012

Unidentified militants blew up the building of Government high school in Adamzai village of Akora Khattak area in Nowshera District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

09-10-2012

a)      Unidentified militants blew up a Government-run school in the Malka Dher area of Charsadda District.

b)      A Government primary school was blown up by unidentified militants at Usmanabad area of Akora Khattak in Nowshera District.

c)      Unidentified militants destroyed two CD shops with explosives at Pabbi Station Chowk in Nowshera. No casualty was reported.

10-10-2012

CHARSADDA: The militants on Tuesday blew up a state-run school in Malkadhera in the limits of the City Police Station, official sources said. The sources said the explosive devices planted in the Government Primary School in Malkadhera went off early in the day. Two rooms were destroyed while another room and boundary wall were partially damaged.

15-10-2012

A community health centre was partially damaged in a blast in Bar Taras area of Salarzai tehsil.

19-10-2012

A Government-run primary school for girls was blown up in two bomb blasts in the Kalay Marhati area of Nowshera District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

24-10-2012

a)      GHALLANAI: The militants blew up two government boys primary schools in Tehsil Haleemzai of Mohmand Agency Wednesday after which the total number of the schools destroyed by the militants stand at 106, Geo News reported.According to official sources, explosives were planted at Government Boys Primary School, Malik Orangzaib and Malik Dilawa

b)      Suspected militants blew up a Government middle school in New Nehar Jahangira area in Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

27-10-2012

Mardan: extremists blew up girls school in Katti Garhi area of Katlang, Mardan. Several rooms of the school were destroyed in the blast while watchman sustained injuries in the incident.

CONCLUSION:

Well aware of the power of education for empowering women and girls in the economic, social and political areas of life, the Taliban and other terrorist organizations operating in Pakistan using all brutal means to stop girls from going to school. Taliban along with the feudal lords and Military establishment do not approve the education of girls so that they can marginalize, isolate, discriminate, violate their basic rights, make women economically dependent on men and stoop them to a lower status in this male-dominated society.

The Malala incident has awoken the world community towards the brutality of the Taliban and their medieval ideology of hate and killing. We urge UN to mobilize the world community towards the forgotten children of Pakistan and Afghanistan who have been systematically deprived of education, the right to express their opinion, the right to healthy life and the right to live.

Children living under terror in pakistan- monthly report (september)

Pakistan is increasingly becoming a dangerous place for our children to live. A leading child advocacy NGO in Pakistan, the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, in a recently released report, presents a very bleak picture. According to this report more than a third of the nation’s population age 5 to 9 — about 7 million children — is not enrolled in school. 7,000 child abductions reported in 2011 — 3,090 of which occurred in the southern city of Karachi. Only 49 percent of children have completed primary education in Pakistan (59 percent of boys and 39 percent of girls). While 67 percent of children in urban areas have completed primary education, only 40 percent of children in rural areas have done the same. 

According to this report named, The State of Pakistan’s  Children-2011, around 600,000 children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have missed one or more years of education due to militancy. Almost 25 million children are currently out of school in the country and of them, seven million had yet to receive any form of primary schooling.

4955 persons including innocent civilians, children and women have been killed in terrorist related violence in Pakistan this year till September.

CHILDREN VICTIMS OF TERRORISM:

The month of September was marred by violence and terrorism. More than 12 children have been killed and 14 injured in different terrorist incidents. Nearly 11 schools were destroyed in the North West Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

Date-wise analysis of the terrorist attacks on children, educational and health personnel  killed and injured in the month of August is as under:

02-09-2012

A handcuffed 14-days-old decomposed unidentified dead body of a boy was recovered from Lyari Naddi within the jurisdiction of Pak Colony Police Station.

04-09-2012

An unidentified boy (12) was injured in a land mine explosion in Turbat District.

05-09-2012

Three children playing cricket in Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency were injured when an improvised explosive device exploded. The target was obviously children, because the IED was planted in a playground.

06-09-2012

a)      Three persons, including a minor girl, were killed when a mortar shell fell on the house of one Kaptan Khan, a resident of Kandawo village in Sipah area of Khyber Agency in FATA. Shah Nawaz, Gul Nawaz and a minor daughter of Ahmad Gul were killed on the spot in the incident.

b)      A Government schoolteacher belonging to the Ahmadi community, identified as Abdul Ghaffar (35), was shot dead in Gulistan Colony within the limits of Chakiwara Police Station.

10-09-2012

At least 13 workers of a factory, including two women workers, were injured in a remote-controlled bomb attack on a bus in the industrial town of Hub in Quetta.

11-09-2012

A teacher of a girls’ school went missing when she was coming to Mohmand Agency from Attock District of Punjab. Officials said that the teacher, Robina Tabassum, went missing near Shabqadar area when she was on her way to the school.

14-09-2012

A teenager, Muhammad Lateef (18), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in Liaquatabad area.

15-09-2012

A blast that took place outside a scrap shop left a 10-year-old boy dead and 10 others injured at Bara Board in Nazimabad under Pak Colony Police Station in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh.

16-09-2012

Fifteen people, including two children, three women were killed and 12 others sustained injuries when a passenger vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Landay Shah area in Lower Dir district on Sunday, officials and eyewitnesses said.

17-09-2012

a)      In Haidry Market of Karachi one girl child was killed and several others including 7 women were killed and  22 injured in series of three explosions.

18-09-2012

At least seven people belonging to the Dawoodi Bohra community, including a three-month-old baby Shabbir, a 12-year-old girl Umema and a woman, were killed and 22 others injured in twin bomb blasts on a road between two apartment buildings — Qasr-e-Kutbuddin and Burhani Bagh — in Block C of North Nazimabad, commonly called Bohra Compound.

19-09-2012

A powerful car bomb targeting a vehicle of the PAF near Scheme Chowk on Kohat Road in Peshawar killed 10 people and wounded 34 others, including women and children. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

23-09-2012

A 10-year old girl was killed in firing by the police in the limits of Shergarh Police Station on Sunday, local sources said. The sources said that Niamat Ali was heading to his home in his car from Sakhakot when the police signalled him to stop at Shago Naqa checkpost at 8:30pm. The police fired at the car leaving his daughter Marwa dead on the spot.

24-09-2012

A child was injured when a ‘toy bomb’ exploded in the village Shah Alam, located six kilometers east of Tank, on Sunday, said a military official here on Monday.

28-09-2012

Two students were killed and seven others including a pro-government tribal elder sustained injuries in a roadside blast in Ferozkhel area in Orakzai Agency on Thursday, tribal sources said. They said the explosive device went off at 11am when Malik Muhammad Sharif along with his son, Abdul Sharif, was passing through the bazaar.
As a result, two students, Abidullah and Muhammad Shafiq, of class 8 in the Government High School, Jhlaka Mela, were killed on the spot while seven others sustained injuries, the sources added. The injured included tribal elder Malik Muhammad Sharif, his son Abdul Sharif, Mian Gul, Ebad Gul, Wasim Khan, Habibullah and Abu Bakr.

ATTACKS ON SCHOOLS:

According to Information received and verified by IRSK, nearly 11 schools were destroyed or damaged by bombings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Date-wise analysis of terrorist attacks on schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province is as under:

05-09-2012

Unidentified militants blew off a Government Primary School in Kongat Johar area of Safi tehsil. Agency Education Officer Said Muhammad said that so far 101 Government schools had been destroyed in Mohmand Agency, depriving 7,000 children of education.

07-09-2012

a)      Unidentified militants blew up a Government girls’ primary school in Shewa area of Swabi District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The blast partially damaged the school building, but no causality or injury was reported.

b)      Unidentified militants blew up a Government Girls’ Primary School in Khazeena area of Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency of FATA.

09-09-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government primary school for girls in Khail Maat Shah Village of Storikhel area in Orakzai Agency.

11-09-2012

a)      Unidentified militants blew up a Government-run primary school in the Badbher area in Peshawar. The blast flattened two rooms, but no loss of life was reported.

b)      Militants blew up Government Primary School Haji Malik Nadir in the Parata Qilla area of Haleemzai tehsil in Mohmand Agency of FATA increasing the total number of schools destroyed in the agency to 103.

12-09-2012

Unidentified militants bombed a Government-run primary school in the Akkakhel area of Khyber Agency in FATA.

14-09-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government girls’ high school in Lond Khor area near Shah Dhund in Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. No loss of life was reported.

17-09-2012

A government school was partially damaged in a bomb explosion in Babozai village in Katlang area of Mardan district on Monday, sources said.The sources said explosives planted by militants in the building of Government Boys Middle School in Babozai went off early in the day.

21-09-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government middle school for boys with an explosive device in Saro Killay area of Shabqadar tehsil in Charsadda District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

25-09-2012

Militants destroyed a state-run school in Shabqadar tehsil in Charsadda district. The sources said the Government Girls Primary School in Samanat village was blown up with explosives at midnight. The school was destroyed in the explosion.T he militants had destroyed the same school a year ago.

CONCLUTION:

Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber (IRESK),  a partner of International Alliance against Terrorism (IAAT) express its deep concern and condemn the continuing atrocities and terrorism on children in Pakistan particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has rounded up its ten-day visit to Pakistan. The group clearly pointed out  the involvement of Military Secret Service in the disappearances and called on the government to try the responsible personnel in the ordinary courts. The Chairman of the Working Group, Olivier de Frouville noted that some 500 disappearances were on the group’s radar. Based on their findings, Frouville and group member Osman El-Hajj, will submit a detailed report to the UN Human Rights Council in 2013.

Religious and sectarian intolerance is on rise. Widespread and systematic attacks on Christians, forced conversersion of Hindus to Islam, the relentless killing of Shia community, persecution of Ahmedis and the use of Anti-blasphemy laws against the religious minorities indicates a dangerous and frightening trend in Pakistan. Even the children are not spared in this wild religious vigilante-mob-justice. The implication of a small  14 year old child, Rimsha Masih in Blashphemy is a clear evidence of blind and mindless pursuit for persecuting minorities in the name of religion in Pakistan.

The burning of a Church, its adjacent school and a house of Pastor by a mob of 7000  Muslims in the North-Western city of Mardan is testament to the fact that the minorities are not secured and protected in Pakistan. That is why Hindus and Christians are migrating in hordes from Pakistan to other countries.

The international community must take notice of these gross human rights violations of children, religious minorities and different ethnic groups in Pakistan. All diplomatic, financial and economic means should be used to pressure Pakistan to protect these victimized groups and take legal and administrative measures to prevent the religious fanatics from killing children and minorities in the name of religion.

Children living under terror in pakistan- (august report)

INTRODUCTION:

The over-all law-in-order and terrorist related violence continue to affect the children and women of Pakistan.  According to a report, 3, 898 people including children and women were killed in terrorist violence in the first seven months of this year. According to Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), more than 450 mutilated bodies were recovered and 1300 persons are missing during the last four years in different parts of Baluchistan Province. According to Madadgar, a Karachi-based Non-Governmental organization, 136 children were reported to be missing in Pakistan in the first 6 months of this year.

Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber (IRESK),  a partner of International Alliance against Terrorism (IAAT) express its deep concern and condemn the continuing atrocities and terrorism on children in Pakistan particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Children and the schools have been the prime target of the terrorists who leave no stone unturned to achieve their heinous objectives.

Just like the previous months the month of August was marred by violence and terrorism. More than 14 children have been killed and 24 injured in different terrorist incidents. Nearly 8 schools were destroyed in the North West Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

CHILDREN VICTIMS OF TERRORISM:

Date-wise analysis of the terrorist attacks on children, educational and health personnel  killed and injured in the month of August is as under:

01-08-2012

a)      An educationist, Ghulam Syed, who had led an armed lashkar against militants, was shot dead by unidentified assailants when he was going to his school at Lagharai Thal area in Lower Dir District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

03-08-2012

Two bullet-riddled dead bodies including a boy Ali Haider, (17), were found from Ahmed Shah Bukhari Road within the precincts of Kalri Police Station.

05-08-2012

Five people, including two children and a woman, were killed while ten others were injured in a car explosion that occurred at a house located in Faizabad area on Sariab Road in Quetta.

09-08-2012

A house and a private clinic were damaged when a powerful improvised explosive device exploded at Scheme Chowk in the limits of Badhber Police Station in Peshawar.

13-08-2012

A trader identified as Hasnain (40) and his son Qadir (11), suffered bullet injures in the SITE-B Police remits. Police said that the attack was an attempted target killing.

17-08-2012

Four bodies, including that of a father and son, were found in Yakh Ghund area of Mohmand Agency. According to political administration in Mohmand, the deceased were identified as Jannat Khan, his son Zahir and two relatives named Dedan and Ahsanullah.

22-08-2012

a)      Four children were injured in a hand-grenade blast in Matta tehsil in Swat district on Wednesday, local sources said. The sources said a group of children were grazing cattle in Dheri area of Matta tehsil when they found a hand-grenade near an abandoned checkpost of the security forces and mistook it for a toy. As soon as they picked up the grenade, it exploded and injured four children, they added. They included seven years old Wahid, Samiullah aged 9, Samreen, 13, and 11-year old Zakira.

b)       At least 10 persons, including children and women, got injured in mortar shelling in Shalobar area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA.

c)        As many as two passersby were killed and 16 others, including five women and four children, were critically injured when a remote-controlled bomb went off near Musa Colony on Sariab Road in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan.

d)       The decomposed corpse of a young 11 year old boy with torture marks  and the stabbed body of a woman were found from two different place.
The stabbed body of Mira Mai, 35, wife of Abdul Majid, was found in the bushes near Chotia Maidan close to the old Airport. Her body was shifted to the JPMC for legal formalities.

e)      At least 10 people, including children and women, got injured in mortar shelling in Shalobar area of Bara Tehsil.

25-08-2012

a)      One child died and two injured along with a woman in shelling by Talibans near a border village of Jandol in Mohmand Agency.

b)      Seven persons were killed and eight others, including women and children, injured when two mortar shells hit a house in the militancy-hit Bara region of Khyber district on Saturday, residents and administration officials said.

c)        Seven persons belonging to one family were killed and eight others, including women and children, were injured when two mortar shells hit a house in Qambarkhel area of Bara region in Khyber Agency.

d)       Unidentified armed militants shot and injured a doctor, identified as Dotor Iqbal in Turbat District.

26-08-2012

Eight youth including children were killed while seven others injured when two mortar shells fired from an unidentified location hit a hujra and playground in Qamberabad area of Bara in Khyber.27-08-2012a)      Three men, identified as Habibullah, Muhammad Ali and Mustafa, belonging to Hazara community were shot dead and two others, including a two-year-old child passing by, sustained critical injuries in a sectarian attack at Killi Mubarak Chowk on Spiny Road in Quetta. b)      Local administration recovered the dead body of a youth, identified as Muhammad Zakira, from Gorpad area of Kalat District. The victim had gone missing from Kalat area three days earlier. 28-08-2012 Unidentified gunmen ambushed a car in Amphary in Gilgit, leaving a 16-year-old girl and an infant wounded. 29-08-2012 a)      A 7 year old child was injured in firing by unidentified persons in Sorab Bazar area of  Qalat district of Baluchistan. 30-08-2012 Tehrke-e Talian Pakistan, has claimed the responsibility for the terrorist attack on a private clinic in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and warned of more attacks. 31-08-2012 a)    Two boys named Bilal 16 and Tayyab 14 were killed in a bomb blast in Matani Bazar, a small town close to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. b)    A tortured body of a boy Mehmood 18 was recovered from the vicinity of Hamdard University in Mangopir, Karachi.   ATTACKS ON SCHOOLS: According to Information received and verified by IRSK, nearly 8 schools were destroyed by bombings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Date-wise analysis of terrorist attacks on schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province is as under:

01-08-2012

a)       Militants blew up two Government primary schools in Haji Abdur Rahim Cheenari area and Khazeena area of Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency. As a result, both the schools were destroyed completely.

b)       A public sector educational institution for boys was blown up by unidentified militants in Kadi area of Swabi District.

09-08-2012

Militants blew up a government-run Primary School in Mattan Kor of Yakaghund area in Mohmand Agency.

15-08-2012

Unidentified militants blew up the building of a Government school at Katbano village in Mardan District. The structure and outer wall of the building were damaged.

20-08-2012

The Government Higher Secondary School for girls located in Dab Kot village, South Waziristan Agency of FATA, was blown up when explosive materials planted near the building detonated.

28-08-2012

Unidentified militants blew up an under-construction Government girls’ higher second school in Dagai area of Swabi District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

29-08-2012

The militants blew up a government school for girls in the limits of Kalu Khan Police Station on Tuesday, police said. They said the militants had planted two explosive devices in the veranda of under-construction building of the Government Girls’ High School Dagai and the explosions took place in quick succession at around 2:00am.

CONCLUTION :

Children living under terror in pakistan- monthly report (july)

 Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber (IRESK),  a partner of International Alliance against Terrorism (IAAT) express its deep concern over continuing atrocities and terrorism on children in Pakistan particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Children and the schools have been the prime target of the terrorists who leave no stone unturned to achieve their heinous objectives.

In the month of July, 2012,  more than 19 children have been killed and 21 injured in different terrorist attacks. These statistics reported represent a tip of an ice-berg as most of the areas controlled by the Taliban and terrorist out-fits have not been accessible in Pakistan.

Date-wise analysis of the terrorist attacks on children killed and injured in the month of July is as under:

31-07-2012

A boy was injured in a blast in Dalbandin town of Chaghai District of Balochistan.

28-07-2012

A girl was injured when a mortar shell, fired from across the border, hit a house in Sarkai Kandao area of Bajaur Agency. “The mortar shell fired from Afghanistan landed at the village and hit the house of Gulab Khan, partially damaging it and injuring a girl .

26-07-2012

Four persons including two children and a woman were injured when mortar shell hit a residential compound in Spalga village of North Waziristan Agency.

25-07-2012

Two persons were injured when a medium intensity bomb went off in the Horezai area of Badabher, a suburb area of Peshawar. The blast occurred near a Government primary school for girls in an open ground where local people gather every day in a large numbers for Iftar.

24-07-2012

a)      Four children were injured in a blast at a guest-house in Darra Adam Khel area of F.R. Kohat tribal area. Relatives said that a rocket had landed inside the hujra (guesthouse) of Daulat Khan, but there was no confirmation on the nature of the blast.

b)      Seven children sustained injuries in an explosion in Sheraki village in Darra Adamkhel on Tuesday, official and tribal sources said.The source said that Faizan, Firdous, Rahim, Mobeen, Nek Muhammad, Shah Fahad and Tanveer were playing with a mortar shell near the hujra of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander Tariq Afridi when suddenly it exploded.The explosion caused injuries to all them.

21-07-2012

A suicide bomber detonated an explosive laden vehicle near the house of a pro-Government militant commander Maulvi Nabi, killing at least nine persons, including four children, three of them being girls, and injuring 13 others, in a war of attrition between two militant outfits in Speen Tall area of Orakzai Agency in FATA.

19-07-2012

Fourteen tribesmen hailing from Orakzai Agency were killed and two others, including a child and a woman, were injured in a blast caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Sapey area in the limits of Ustarzai Police Station.

18-07-2012

A grand jirga of tribal elders, tasked by the Government to persuade militant groups to allow polio vaccination, informed the administration that the ban on immunisation in Waziristan would continue till drone attacks were stopped. A source privy to the meeting said that in plain words the pro-Government jirga had endorsed the ban imposed by a TTP group on polio campaign in North Waziristan Agency.

17-07-2012

Officials warned that the Taliban ban on polio would put 240,000 children at risk in Waziristan Agencies of FATA, if a vaccination campaign didn’t start by the coming week. TTP and Hafiz Gul Bahadur group banned polio vaccinations in the Waziristan.

The polio prevention campaign suffered a double setback when a foreign doctor of the World Health Organisation associated with the immunisation work and his driver were injured in an attack in Karachi.

15-07-2012

A stray mortar bomb smashed through a house in a Sheikhan village, a suburb of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing three children and their mother and injuring their father.

13-07-2012

A woman was going home along with her son in Subatpur area of Jaffarabad District when she hit a landmine planted along a road. She died and her son Ali Bakhsh was taken to Dera Allahyar hospital with serious injuries.

06-07-2012

Three persons, including a child, were killed in separate incidents of target killing in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh.

03-07-2012

At least four persons were killed and four others injured, including women and children, in a grenade attack at a home in Malik Din Khel area of Khyber Agency in FATA.

A young woman working for women’s rights in tribal regions, Fareeda Kokikhel (26), Director of Sewara, was killed in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency in FATA.

01-07-2012

a)      A six-year-old girl Sadida was killed and two other children were injured in two blasts in the border area of Upper Dir.

b)      Twelve persons, including eight children, were killed and eight others injured when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden double-cabin truck into a local militant’s centre in the Spin Thall area of a remote part of Hangu district bordering North Waziristan tribal region on Saturday.

According to information received by IRESK, 10 schools were bombed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in the month of July, 2012. The real number of schools destroyed is higher as Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the main centre of terrorism and continued conflict have been subject to news-black-out and journalists have been barred from entering and reporting on these areas.

Date-wise analysis of attacks on schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province is as under:

31-07-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government school with explosives in Badhber area of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

27-07-2012

A Government primary school for girls was blown up by unidentified militants in Swabi District on the night. According to Sources three militants planted three IEDs at Government primary school for girls in Sodher area.

20-07-2012

A Government primary school in the Naseerabad area of Matani in Peshawar, the provincial capital of KP, was bombed.

Unidentified militants bombed two primary schools in Saafi tehsil of Mohmand Agency.

16-07-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government primary school situated in the Sardheri area of Charsadda District. The explosion damaged the external wall of the school completely.

15-07-2012

Unidentified militants blew up Nashokhel Boys High School in Peshawar. However, no human loss was reported. The boundary wall of the School damaged completely.

10-07-2012

A government middle school for boys was also blown up in Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency.

Unidentified militants blew up a primary school for girls at Mera Mashokhel under Badhber Police Station in Peshawar.

02-07-2012

Unidentified militants blew up a Government school in Darra area of Swabi District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

01-07-2012

Unidentified militants blew up the boys’ primary school in Dara village of Swabi District.

IRESK, wants to bring the attention of the UN Working group which is expected to visit Pakistan next month, towards the gross violation of human rights in Pakistan, particularly the terror attacks conducted against the children and women. According to Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP),  64 children were killed in different incidents in Karachi last year, which represent a dangerous trend.

We request the working Group to take note of the attack on children and put pressure on Pakistan and other Parties to the conflict to stop killing children, bombing schools and depriving them of their basic health needs.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI & IRESK CONTRIBUTION FOR MOBILISING PUBLIC OPENION IN FRANCE & EUROPE

MARCH 4, 2013 · 9:02 AM

Prix Malala de la Paix, de l’Education et de la Liberté d’expression : le sens de notre combat

 Depuis des mois, Fazal ur Rehman Afridi, journaliste pakistanais, militant des droits humains, Président de l’IRESK (Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber), partenaire de l’Alliance Internationale Contre le Terrorisme, alerte inlassablement sur la situation des enfants pakistanais victimes du terrorisme, en particulier les filles interdites d’école par les talibans.

 Le 11 septembre 2011, lors du Rassemblement organisé par le MPCT en hommage à toutes les victimes du terrorisme, il révélait le cas des enfants envoyés se faire exploser par les talibans, comme la petite Keinat, 13 ans qui ne dût sa survie qu’au dysfonctionnement de son gilet explosif !

Il prévenait que si rien n’était fait pour arrêter ce terrorisme, l’Europe ne serait pas épargnée.

 Après le choc de l’assassinat par Mohamed Merah de trois enfants français, ciblés parce que juifs, nous décidions de décupler nos efforts et nous lancions avec l’IRESK et les autres associations partenaires du Collectif Contre le Terrorisme, la campagne « Face au terrorisme, sauver les enfants ».

L’IRESK publia des rapports mensuels accablants, dressant le terrible bilan des actes terroristes commis au Pakistan, avec le nombre d’enfants tués et blessés, le nombre d’écoles détruites, en insistant sur les ravages de l’embrigadement d’enfants et de l’enseignement islamiste de la haine auquel ils sont soumis.

Sans rencontrer l’écho nécessaire et sans indigner grand monde …

 Et puis il y eut l’attentat de trop, par lequel les talibans pakistanais entendaient en finir avec la troublionne Malala, obstinée à défendre haut et fort le droit des filles à l’éducation.

Une mobilisation exceptionnelle s’engagea alors au Pakistan et dans le monde, à laquelle nous nous sommes associé-es avec enthousiasme.

Dès le mois d’octobre, Fazal ur Rehman Afridi suggéra la création d’un « Prix Malala de la Paix et de l’Education », auquel le MPCT proposa d’ajouter « la Liberté d’expression ».

Le projet, accueilli avec enthousiasme par le père de Malala, est soutenu par les partenaires du Collectif Contre le Terrorisme.

Nous espérons que Malala sera assez rétablie pour venir à Paris en personne pour la cérémonie, prévue pour la Rentrée 2013.

Un trophée créé par la plasticienne Diagne Chanel, sera attribué à Malala la première année et par la suite il sera décerné chaque année à des journalistes, éducateurs ou éducatrices engagé-es.

Un jury est en train de se constituer.

Nous voulons promouvoir un jury issu de la société civile, avec des représentant-es d’associations, notamment de défense des droits des femmes, engagé-es pour le droit des filles à l’éducation, pour l’arrêt de la terreur, pour la liberté d’expression et de conscience.

 Le magnifique combat de Malala ne doit pas être instrumentalisé et son cas ne doit pas devenir l’arbre qui cacherait la sombre forêt : le terrorisme islamiste continue à frapper les enfants et à s’attaquer à l’éducation, au Pakistan, en Afghanistan et ailleurs.

En octobre 2012, il a tué au moins 13 enfants pakistanais et en a blessé 42, dont Malala.

Au second semestre 2012, de juillet à décembre, au moins 92 enfants pakistanais furent tués dans des attentats, victimes anonymes et ignorées. 176 au moins furent blessés et 62 écoles furent détruites.

Sans surprise, 2013 a bien mal commencé comme l’indique le rapport publié par l’IRESK pour le mois de janvier. (1)

Les proclamations en faveur de l’éducation ne suffiront pas, l’incitation financière des familles pauvres pour qu’elles envoient leurs filles à l’école non plus.

Avant tout, il faut assurer la sécurité des enfants et de leurs enseignantes face à des terroristes redoutables.

Notre responsabilité est de soutenir celles qui résistent courageusement en luttant pour le droit à l’éducation et à la liberté d’expression.

Nous espérons que le Prix Malala, de la Paix, de l’Education et de la Liberté d’expression, servira cet engagement.

Huguette Chomski Magnis

Secrétaire générale du MPCT

Coordinatrice du Collectif Contre le Terrorisme

(1) http://www.mpctasso.org/spip.php?article1152

(2) http://khyberinstitute.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/children-living-under-terror-in-pakistan-monthly-report-january-2013/

FEBRUARY 2, 2013 · 6:14 PM

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Oubliés de la solidarité internationale (II) : Exposé de Fazal Ur Rehman Afridi

Après la contribution de Khaled Issa, nous poursuivons la publication des exposés des intervenants à la soirée organisée par le MPCT le 28 novembre 2012.

L’EXPOSÉ DE FAZAL UR REHMAN AFRIDI

Président de l’Institut pour la Recherche et l’Etude Stratégique de Khyber, IRESK

Membre de l’Alliance Internationale Contre le Terrorisme

 Après les promesses du Pakistan faites, suite à l’attentat contre Malala Yousoufzai, pour la protection des filles et des enfants en général, rien n’a changé et la terreur contre eux continue !

Il y a quatre jours : une bombe contre une procession chiite au Nord-Ouest du Pakistan a tué 8 enfants, dont 3 frères âgés de 12 à 14 ans. Elle en a blessé 12.

Gordon Brown a lancé une campagne de solidarité pour l’éducation des enfants dans le monde, « I am Malala ».

75 millions d’enfants dans le monde ne sont pas scolarisés, dont une majorité de filles.

Au Pakistan, 7 millions d’enfants entre 6 et 11 ans ne sont pas inscrits à l’école.

Le Pakistan a voté une loi pour l’éducation universelle, des filles et des garçons.

Mais le premier problème est leur sécurité : les enfants, les filles principalement sont menacées, enlevées, tuées, empoisonnées. Les écoles sont la cible des terroristes. Et maintenant ont commencé les jets d’acide sur les filles qui vont à l’école, pour les défigurer, comme ne Afghanistan.

Le crime des filles selon les talibans : vouloir aller à l’école.

Chaque mois des enfants sont tués par des attaques terroristes mais les médias n’en parlent pas.

 Malgré le manque de ressources, l’IRESK a commencé à établir des rapports mensuels sur les enfants tués et blessés par le terrorisme, les attaques qui visent les filles, les écoles détruites par les terroristes au Nord-Ouest du Pakistan.

En octobre 2012, 13 enfants ont étés tués et 42 blessés par des actes terroristes.

En tout, 3400 écoles ont été détruites, à la fois par les terroristes et par des désastres naturels, mais une forte proportion l’a été par les talibans déterminés à interdire l’éducation aux filles.

7000 enfants ont été enlevés pour être utilisés comme « kamikazes » ! Dont 300 rien qu’à Karachi qui est considérée comme une ville« laïque »

Les chiffres que nous publions ne montrent que la partie émergée de l’iceberg.

Les informations sont partielles, les journalistes sont eux-mêmes ciblés par les talibans et leur travail est entravé par les autorités.

Questions sur le rôle de l’état de la République Islamique du Pakistan,

officiellement engagée contre le terrorisme des talibans mais il y a un double jeu de soutien aux talibans afghans contre l’Inde et le gouvernement afghan.

Les services secrets pakistanais sont infiltrés par les talibans et Al Qaida et dans l’armée il y a des généraux extrémistes.

MALALA LEAVE HOSPITAL

 Malala Yousoufzai

Son seul « crime » est qu’elle voulait aller à l’école et demandait la même chose pour les autres filles.

L’éducation des filles est capitale pour la société. Eduquer un garçon, c’est éduquer une personne. Mais éduquer une fille c’est éduquer une famille.

Son père est directeur d’école.

Depuis 2009, elle écrivait sur sa vie et son désir d’aller à l’école, s’exprimant dans son blog contre les talibans. La BBC l’a rendue célèbre.

Ce qui explique la mobilisation exceptionnelle qui a suivi l’attentat revendiqué par les talibans qui qualifient son travail « d’obscénité »

Elle est reconnue comme une icône de courage.

Avec Huguette du MPCT et Annie de la Ligue du Droit International des Femmes et des associations partenaires du Collectif Contre le Terrorisme, nous voulons créer un Prix Malala de l’Education et de la Paix, avec le concours artistique de la plasticienne Diagne Chanel pour la réalisation du trophée.

Nous proposons de le décerner à Malala la première année et les années suivantes à des journalistes travaillant pour la paix et l’éducation, défenseurs des droits humains, éducatrices et éducateurs engagés dans la lutte pour le droit des filles à l’éducation.

Nous nous sommes adressés à Irina Bokova, Directrice Générale de l’UNESCO.

 Nous faisons du lobbying auprès de l’ONU, de l’UNICEF et de l’UNESCO car nous devons faire entendre notre voix. Pourquoi les groupes de travail de l’ONU, sur le terrorisme, sur le développement, ne nous répondent-ils pas ?

On demande la défense du droit à la vie et du droit à l’éducation, c’est à l’ONU de faire respecter le droit des enfants et sa propre convention, sans compromis !

Le terrorisme qui vise les enfants doit être universellement dénoncé et désigné par le Conseil de Sécurité comme l’une des plus graves violations des droits humains.

L’éducation au Pakistan doit être réformée pour empêcher l’enseignement de la haine et l’embrigadement des enfants.

Le 15 février 2012, des terroristes ont été arrêtés en Afghanistan avec 41 enfants enchaînés.

Récemment, au Pakistan, 20 enfants ont été trouvés enchaînés dans une madrassa de Karachi pour être envoyés dans la zone tribale du Pakistan.

Les enfants doivent être protégés !

Fazl Ur Rehman Afridi

Paris, le 28 novembre 2012

Sur le site de l’IRESK

Rapports mensuels sur la situation des enfants victimes du terrorisme au Pakistan, analyses et informations.

http://khyberinstitute.wordpress.com

Published by MPCT:

http://www.mpctasso.org/spip.php?article1133

le Terrorisme →

JANUARY 26, 2013 · 11:58 AM

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Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom 2013 awarded to Malala Yousafzai

Afridi with Ziauddin Yousafzai, father of Malala, immediately after the Award ceremony. Malala has been honored with the prestigious French Simon de Debouvoir Award 2013 for the Liberty of Women. The award was given to her father in an elegant ceremony held in Paris on January 9, 2013. Later, Najat Vallaud Belkacem, the Minter for Women rights and Spokes-person of the government of France held a prestigious ceremony at the Ministry in honor of Ziauddin Yousafzai.

Mr Yousafzai received in Paris, on behalf of his daughter, the Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom, presented to him on Wednesday, 9 January, at the Maison de l’Amérique latine. Malala Yousafzai, who is currently living in the UK, was the victim of an assassination attempt in October last year because of her determined commitment to the right to education.

Awarding the prize, express France’s commitment to women’s rights and solidarity with Malala Yousafzai in her fight for the right to girls’ education.

Earlier, M. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs, received Mr Ziauddin Yousafzai, the father of Malala Yousafzai at Quai d’Orsay in recognition of French support and solidarity for Malala Yousafzai.

NAJAT VALLAUD BELKACEM

Later in the evening, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the Minister for Women Rights and Spokesperson of the Government of France, organized a reception in honor of Mr. Ziauddin Yousafzai at the Ministry of Women rights in the presence of civil and diplomatic community of France. She termed Malala an icon of courage and hope for the millions of girls who could not go to schools.

Afridi (President of IRESK) along with Huguette Chomski Magnis (Secretary General of MPCT) in presence of Ziauddin Yousafzai informed the honorable Minister, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem about the SUPPORT COMMITTEE FOR MALALA` in France and apprised her of the MALALA PRIZE FOR PEACE & EDUCACTION to be awarded to Malala first and then to the journalists and Human Rights Activists working for the defense of human rights and education in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The honorable Minister took keen interest in the project and appreciated it.

Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom

For its sixth edition, the Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom has been awarded to Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani human rights campaigner. Malala Yousafzai, 15, came to prominence through the blog she wrote for the BBC in 2009, when the Taliban controlled the Swat Valley. In it she condemned their actions and championed the right of girls to education. In 2011 the Pakistani government awarded her the National Youth Peace Prize. Malala continued to campaign for girls’ access to education and women’s rights after the Pakistani army operation to drive the Taliban out of the Swat Valley. The victim of a Taliban assassination attempt on 9 October 2012, she was taken to the UK to receive the treatment necessary for her recovery.

The jury – chaired by Josyane Savigneau, with Julia Kristeva and Sylvie Le Bon de Beauvoir as honorary chairs – is made up of figures from the world of the arts and literature. The Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom – created on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Simone de Beauvoir’s birth – distinguishes men, women and voluntary organizations who, like Simone de Beauvoir, fight to defend women’s rights wherever they are under threat. Supported by the Institut français, Paris Diderot University and the international audit and consulting group Mazars, the prize is endowed with €20,000.

Simone de Beauvoir

French philosopher, novelist and essayist Simone de Beauvoir was a major feminist theorist of the 20th century. Author of the Le Deuxième Sexe [The Second Sex] in 1949, in countless different ways throughout her life she demonstrated her total support for the defence of women’s rights.

The jury for the Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom

Composition:

Josyane Savigneau (Chair of the Jury, Le Monde journalist)

Julia Kristeva (Founding Chair, professor at Paris Diderot University, writer and psychoanalyst)

Sylvie Le Bon de Beauvoir (Honorary Chair of the Jury)

Elisabeth Badinter (philosopher)

Constance Borde (translator)

Gérard Bonal (writer)

Chahla Chafiq (writer and sociologist)

Denis Charbit (professor of French civilization at Tel Aviv University)

Cécile Decousu (PhD student)

Annie Ernaux (writer)

Claire Etcherelli (writer)

Madeleine Gobeil-Noël (former arts director at UNESCO)

Sihem Habchi (President of the “Ni Putes ni Soumises” movement)

Liliane Kandel (sociologist)

Ayse Kiran (professor at Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey)

Claude Lanzmann (writer, film-maker and director of the Revue des Temps modernes)

Björn Larsson (writer, professor at Lund University, Sweden)

Liliane Lazar (Simone de Beauvoir Society, United States)

Annette Lévy-Willard (Libération journalist, writer)

Anne-Marie Lizin (Senator, President of the Conseil des Femmes de Wallonie, Belgium)

Sheila Malovany-Chevallier (translator)

Malka Marcovich (historian)

Kate Millett (writer, artist and sculptor, United States)

Yvette Roudy (Minister for Women’s Rights from 1981 to 1986)

Danièle Sallenave (writer)

Alice Schwarzer (writer, Germany)

Margaret Simons (professor of philosophy, Southern Illinois University, United States)

Annie Sugier, (President of the Ligue du Droit internationale des Femmes)

Linda Weil-Curiel (lawyer)

Anne Zelensky (writer, President of the Ligue du Droit des Femmes, cofounded with Simone de Beauvoir)

Huguette Chomski Magnis, Ziauddin Yousafzai, Fazal ur Rehman Afridi

REPORT (NOVEMBER) →

DECEMBER 8, 2012 · 6:33 PM

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Communiqué du Collectif Contre le Terrorisme

10 décembre 2012

STAND UP FOR MALALA

Pour le droit des filles à l’éducation

Pour l’arrêt de la terreur

Pour la liberté d’expression et de conscience

Nous nous félicitons que la journée internationale des droits humains soit consacrée par l’UNESCO à un plaidoyer pour le droit de toutes les filles à l’éducation. 

Parce que la jeune et courageuse Malala Yousufzai est devenue un symbole de la lutte pour le droit universel à l’éducation, nous proposons qu’un prix Malala de la paix et de l’éducation lui soit décerné à Paris, berceau des droits humains.  

Nous regrettons qu’il ait fallu attendre l’attentat du 9 octobre perpétré par les talibans contre Malala pour qu’une mobilisation internationale s’engage en faveur des droits des petites Pakistanaises. 

Depuis des mois, nous alertons sur la situation des enfants pakistanais face au terrorisme :

enfants victimes des attentats

filles interdites d’école par la terreur islamiste 

enfants envoyés se faire exploser ! 

Les talibans ont même recours au jet d’acide pour défigurer fillettes et jeunes filles sur le chemin de l’école ! 

L’IRESK, Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber, publie des rapports mensuels qui montrent la gravité du mal qui ronge le Pakistan. 

Pendant le seul mois d’octobre, au moins 13 enfants pakistanais ont été tués par des attaques terroristes.

42 enfants, dont Malala, ont été blessés et 9 écoles ont été détruites. 

Les proclamations en faveur de l’éducation ne suffiront pas, l’incitation financière des familles pauvres pour qu’elles envoient leurs filles à l’école non plus.  Avant tout, il faut assurer la sécurité des enfants et de leurs enseignantes face à des terroristes redoutables. La responsabilité en incombe au gouvernement de la République Islamique du Pakistan. 

Comme le père de Malala, nous menons un combat pour le droit à l’éducation, pour l’arrêt de la terreur,  pour la liberté de conscience et la liberté d’expression. 

Sans cette liberté, le Pakistan ne saurait assurer une éducation émancipatrice et épanouissante à tous ses enfants, filles et garçons. 

La loi du blasphème, au nom de laquelle  la paysanne chrétienne Asia Bibi a été condamnée à mort et  croupit en prison, doit être abrogée. 

L’endoctrinement et l’enseignement de la haine qui sévissent dans les madrassas doivent être proscrits. 

Déclaration soutenue par : AISC Solidarité copte – APIV Association pour l’Information et la Vérité –  IRESK Institut de recherche et d’études stratégiques de Khyber – LDIF Ligue du Droit International des Femmes- MPCT Mouvement Pour la Paix et Contre le Terrorisme (Membre de l’Alliance Internationale Contre le Terrorisme) – Paroles de Femmes –  Rassemblement Pour la Démocratie au Liban – Regards de Femmes

MALALA, A 21 st CENTURY HEROINE

 International  Alliance Against Terrorism (IAAT) statement

                                  On this day, chosen by the UN to be the International Day of the Girl Child, International  Alliance Against Terrorism (IAAT)  condemns the ghastly taliban attack of  14-years-old  Malala Yousafzai , brave child activist who has been struggling for girls rights to education and defending human rights for all children since 2009.

We endorse the statement published by IAAT Pakistani partner  IRESK, Institute of researche and strategic studies on Khyber.

http://khyberinstitute.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/malala-yousafzai-a-voice-of-moderation-injured-in-an-attack-by-taliban/

Malala Yousafzai has publicized the atrocities of Taliban in the valley of Swat through her blog on BBC urdu Service and has been the National Peace Award winner. 

She was shot twice by a Taliban gunman on October 9.

Malala, who was injured along with two other girls, is still in critical condition and our main concern is for her to get a full recovery.

 While boarding the bus taking the children home from school, the gunman  demanded which one of the girls was Malala before shooting twice in her head and neck ! She was a clear target for the terrorists in their heinous desire to silence a voice of peace and enlightenment. The Taliban statement calling her work OBSCENITY and boasting of their crime illustrates the very nature of islamist  terrorism : cowardice, hatred of education, freedom and  gender equality.

It was the responsibility of the government of Pakistan to protect her from the terrorists who kept threatening her but it badly failed in fulfilling its duties to do so.

It is not enough to condemn this heinous crime.  We urge the USA, EU and UN to take notice of this brutality and declare TERRORISM ON CHILDREN as one of the gravest child rights violations which must be stopped !

 International  Alliance Against Terrorism (IAAT)

October 11 th 2012

CRITICISM OF UN REPORT ON CHILDREN IN CONFLICTS BY PRESIDENT OF IRESK

UN REPORT ON CHILDREN AND CONFLICT LACK SUBSTANCE

The UN Report on Children and Armed Conflict released in June this year covers 23 countries between the period from January to December 2011,  falls short of its objectives despite high claims by UN Secretary General about the efficiency and capability of his team.

The highly publicized report covers grave violations committed against children, in particular the recruitment and use of  children, sexual violence against children, the killing and maiming of children, the  abduction of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access to children by parties to conflict in contravention of applicable international law as envisaged in UN Security Council resolutions 1261 (1999), 1314 (2000), 1379 (2001), 1460 (2003), 1539 (2004), 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) and 1998 (2011), in addition to its presidential statements on children and armed conflict.

The report is too simplistic and fails to cover the whole picture. Furthermore, it does not depict the real situation on the ground and seems to be based on secondary information collected through print and electronic media, NGOs and Government reports (which are usually politically motivated). There is nothing new in the report for a regular reader of Newspapers. The report seems to be prepared and edited in the cozy offices of UN at New York. Avoiding detailed analysis we will discuss just two countries named Afghanistan and Pakistan which have been mentioned in this UN Document. The failure to report detailed information about the two countries points to the lack of motivation, efficiency and commitment: while lack of professionalism to conduct primary research through multiple UN Agencies, funds, working groups, child advisers, country Task forces on child protection and UN Department of Peace Keeping operations.

In Afghanistan, 32 forced closure of schools have been reported. While in the same period the Afghan Ministry of Education has reported the forced closure of 500 schools in areas controlled by Taliban. There is no mention of children abducted, detained, sexually abused and recruited by the Talibans.

Pakistan is among 7 countries which  are not on the agenda of UNSC, which seems to be politically motivated as the countrys military, secret services and Taliban are involved in systematic abduction, arbitrary detention, torture and extra-judicial killings of children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Tribal Areas adjacent to Afghan border.

According to the report, 152 schools have been destroyed by TTP (Taliban)  in Pakistan. It does not seem to be correct as one school is destroyed daily in KPK and Tribal Areas.  More than 2000 schools have been bombed and destroyed since 2007 while many more are forcefully closed by Taliban depriving the children of their right to education. More than 40000 Madresas (religious schools) are brainwashing and training children to become suicide bombers. Most of the Child suicide bombers in Afghanistan have been trained in Pakistan. There are reports of children been trafficked from Afghanistan to Pakistan to be trained as suicide bombers. Most of the terrorists attacks involving children in Afghanistan have been traced back to Pakistan. It is ironic that a country sponsor of terrorism perpetrated against children is not on the agenda of UN Security Council.

IRESK recommends the motivation and sensitization of the personnel of the UN agencies, task forces on children rights and protection issues.

UN agencies needs to create awareness about child rights and protections and develop a strong liaison with media to sensitize all stakeholders on this important issue. Create awareness about grave violations like recruitment and use of  children, sexual violence against children, the killing and maiming of children, the  abduction of children and  attacks on schools and hospitals.

The number of children and women killed in terrorists attacks should be reported specifically to make the terrorists ashamed of their acts and show the ugly face of terrorism.

Report every single case of terrorism in which a child is a target, a child is used as a tool of terrorism (suicide bomber) and a child is deprived of education.

A new resolution of the UN Security Council is needed condemning the deliberate terrorist attacks on children and the used of children as tool of terrorism.

RECOMMENDATION:

Legal frameworks in place to protect children from violence and sanction those responsible for it Developing Recommendation for a Plan outlining priority actions for the region.

IRESK calls on all parties to the conflict to ensure that children, women and other civilians are protected at all times and in accordance with international humanitarian law.

The Taliban policies brought suffering and impoverishment to children of Pakistan with resultant psychological trauma and mental stress to women and children.

 Witnessing torture, death and destruction result in psychological trauma and distress, which may force them resort to violence. The life is not worth living for these children. If the Pakistani government and Taliban along with some terrorists bands do not put breaks to this continuing violence, the cycle of violence will not come to an end. The Express Tribune, a Pakistani newspaper, reported in November 2010 that according to a survey more than 2,000 children in Swat had lost one or both of their parents in terrorist bombings and in crossfire between the army and the Taliban extremists. A large number of our children who witnessed the violence and fled their broken homes to save their lives are traumatized. 

Religious seminaries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa collected PKR 30.46 million from foreign countries/institutions during the last five years, the Ministry of Interior said in a report submitted to the National Assembly, during the early months of 2012. Replying to a question of MNA Qudsia Arshad regarding foreign funding to religious seminaries, the Home Department of Sindh added that as per report of the Police special branch, some heads of institutions visited Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE to collect funds but detail of the funding could not be collected.

Keeping in view these horrible information/revelations about funding for the religious siminaries where the message of hate and jihad is spread, it is important to stop this funding for the extremist groups from Arab States.

In September 2009, a Pakistani journalist covered the story of the conflict’s psychological impact on a 22-year-old woman named Saima. During the military operation in the area, Saima and her father couldn’t leave their house because of the fighting outside. Unfortunately, her father died of heart attack. It was tough for her cope with her father’s body and the fact that no one was around to help. 
She cried all the day. “Probably, people heard my voice in next village two miles away,” Saima told the Journalist.

 Dr. Syed Mahmmood Sultan, the head of the psychology department at Khyber Teaching Hospital in Peshawar, who  had treated 500 traumatized patients — in the span of just six days in September 2009. According to Dr. Sultan, most of the patients were children and women, from tribal areas of Pakistan and from Swat. The majority were diagnosed with stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. The conflict is going to have long-term effects on the mental health of the children and women. 

Post traumatic rehabilitations should be  established for the rehabilitation of the children  affected by bombings and the closure of their schools in the region.

It is heartening to note that the  Government of Pakistan is establishing two de-radicalisation centres to ensure psychological and economic rehabilitation of those people of the FATA who renounce militancy. These centres are being set up in Sikandaro area of Bajaur Agency in FATA and Government Degree College in Tank town of Tank District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is adjacent to the militancy-infested South Waziristan Agency. But, it is not enough.

The political & religious parties like PML (N), JUI-F & JI having soft corner for and in some cases supporting the extremist groups should be pressurized by international community to renounce their support to these groups.

Lack of political commitment and the denial syndrome by the leadership in both Afghanistan and Pakistan is mainly responsible for jihadist violence  and terrorism in the region.

Media must play its role by sensitizing the legislature, judiciary and law enforcement agencies on the one hand and  making the ordinary people aware of the rights of children. Particularly, raising voice against terrorist attacks on children and schools.

Local young leaders who work for the cause of the rights of women and children should be encouraged by governments and international institutions.

Absence of strong political will, new LEGISLATION, effective & dynamic legal judicial system makes it almost impossible to bring to justice those who are responsible for terrorism.

Coupled with extremely poor levels of law enforcement inherent weaknesses in  criminal justice system further compound these problems.

Since collection of data – irrespective of the fact of how comprehensive and valid the methods—alone cannot achieve the realization of  the physical security and human rights of children, dissemination becomes key to success. Increasing and initiating the awareness process among poorly educated citizens, teachers, civil society organizations, state institutions and journalists has the potential to bring about positive change.

So, Sensitization of state institutions like judiciary, police and security forces for the promotion and protection of the rights of children should be done in a regular and systematic way.

Advocacy groups working for the promotion of women and children rights should be supported and financed by local and international governments, multilateral organizations and NGOs.

Pakistan need to undertake a number of commitments under the Convention, particularly regarding the reform of the national legislation to bring it in line with the international standards. The government of Pakistan has yet to ratify the UN’s Protocols, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in armed conflict. Pakistan signed the convention in September 2001. With a growing number of children being used as suicide bombers, abducted, tortured, killed and their schools bombed and destroyed by Taliban and terrorists bands, Pakistan has serious obligation to sign this convention and promulgate relevant laws to protect its children from this systematic annihilation. Ironically, the government has made no efforts to deal with the problem.

The second dimension of extremism and terrorism that is worth mentioning is ideological. In the past, a medieval concept of jihad was derived by Jammat-e-Islami and Ikhwan-ul-Muslimoon (Muslim brotherhood) from the Quran and the Sunnat. 
Spread over a period of more than 30 years, this ideology was promoted by America and its Western allies, Arab world rulers, the Pakistani military establishment, its religious leadership and Pakistani media, together to fight USSR. Nothing was done to dismantle and disarm and rehabilitate those jihadist groups after the war in Afghanistan was won. This Ostrich like behavior resulted in springing many terrorists and extremists groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which need to eliminated.

Furthermore, the use of these Jihadist groups by Pakistani Military Establishment to fight an asymmetrical war with India and to gain a strategic depth in Afghanistan further deteriorated the already bad situation. So, we are not only confronted with Jihadist groups but a state sponsor of terrorism too, which make the things complicated. International community must use its political, diplomatic and financial means to persuade Pakistan to renounce its support of extremist groups in its territory.

The government of Pakistan must bring the laws concerning children in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and make sure that they are strictly implemented. Child-related laws should be developed to stop violence against children.

A resource centre for information on the issue related to and surrounding child victims of terrorism should be established in the AF-PAK region.

The terrorists attacks and attacks on children are taking place in a specific region. So, the international community should focus on this region while allocating funds for Pakistan. Most of the funds uptil now have been diverted by the Government of Pakistan towards Punjab, which is not at all affected by terrorism.

We at IRESK remain determined that we would continue to pursue and find ways for the promotion and protection of children and their rights in the AF-PAK region. We have the courage and we encourage others to say no to Terrorism against our children.

CONCLUTION

Children under the age of 18 years constitute around 50 percent of Pakistan’s population. This is more than the youth population of most countries in the world. After the 18th Amendment, with the Article 25-A education is now a fundamental right of every child in Pakistan. It is binding on the state to protect and promote this right. Under Article 9 of the Constitution (security of person), it is the prime duty of the Provincial as well as the Federal Governments to protect the life and property of childrenWhen the state of Pakistan failed to provide decent education to its young, the madressahs and seminaries of different sects supported by petro-dollars of Saudi Arabia and UAE flourished in every nook and corner of Pakistan to enroll young people in hundreds of thousands. Tought the ideology of Jihad and hate, these students of Maressahs known as Taliban adopted the medieval interpretation of 7^th Century tribal Arabic Islam in letter and spirit and started brutalizing the populations in Afghanistan and Pakistan with active connivance of Military Establishment of Pakistan. Pakistan  became a major destination for radicalised Muslims from all around the world including the Western countries, to wage a holy war  (jihad) against infidels. The number of foreign recruits smuggled into the north western tribal region known as FATA is increasing with dangerous implications not only for the AF-PAK region but the whole world.

The barbarity of the Taliban, the Haqqani network, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and other Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorists bands can be gauged from the fact that even the Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar the destructor of Kabul along with Ahmad Shah Masood (the warlord from Panjsher Valley) in an interview has condemned the TTP’s strategy of blowing up schools and blocking girls’ education.

Children, their schools and teachers are regularly attacked by Taliban and other terrorist groups. On October 9, 2012, gunmen shot Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year-old student from Swat, an outspoken advocate for children’s right to education in the head and neck leaving her in critical condition. The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack on Malala resulted in unanimous condemnation from across the political spectrum in Pakistan.

According to a report relaeased by Human Rights Watch, a US-based NGO, Militant groups  attacked bombed  more than 100 schools in 2012.  A climate of fear impeded media coverage of the state security forces and militant groups. Journalists rarely reported on human rights abuses by the military in counterterrorism operations, and the Taliban and other armed groups regularly threatened media outlets over their coverage.  Wary of militant reprisal, journalists in Pakistan tend to be careful what they report. But the youth of Swat also are aware of the consequences of free speech.

An integrated strategy can lead to multiple but matching solutions for The complex problem of violence and terrorism against children and abuses against women and girls in Pakistan.

John Kerry, the 68 Secretary of State has summed up the philosophy of IRESK, by saying ` I am ready to work for the peace in the world, I will take all measures to root out terrorism and  work for the promotion of education of girls in Pakistan.

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We think that through education and awareness we can fight the menace of terrorism. The forces of darkness i.e the Taliban and terrorist bands are well aware of the power of education and its mild influence on our future generations that is why they are bent upon systematically attacking the schools the children and the teachers to stop them getting  the light of education.

This light and awareness can protect the hundreds of children from being used as suicide bombers. The education can give power and courage to the children and their parents to stand against the forces of darkness as did MALAL.

We strongly believe that Pakistan needs vast educational reforms and need to modernize its syllabus making it compatible with universal values and remove what ever instigate towards hate and killing.

A recent statement of KP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain that a large number of those (suicide bombers) arrested have been 13 or 14-year-old boys, clearly shows that majority of the suicide bombers are children, which confirm the earlier declarations of IRESK that children are being abducted in large numbers by Taliban and terrorists bands to be in doctrinated and used later as suicide bombers.

It is really shocking to note that one of the suicide backup bomber to kill former late Prime Minister of Pakistan was a 15 years old boy. During the Bhutto case investigations, the government of Pakistan detained a boy named Aitzaz Shah,  in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Shah told the investigators that he was deployed as the “backup bomber” for Bhutto’s assassination by Taliban.

The abductions, torture and killing of children is a well-know curse in Pakistan, but the terrorists have opened a new front by  bombing and destroying the schools and hospitals depriving the children of education and health. Accoridng to an official of the Ministry of Education nearly 3,400 schools have been destroyed by terrorists and natural desasters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

The real figures are higher as FATA has been subject to complete News-black-out by the government of Pakistan where the local and foreign journalists are not allowed to enter and make reporting.  As a result, both terrorists and military are killing innocent children and women in indiscriminate mortar shillings , artillery fires and jet-bombers.

The highly controversial case of  blasphemy by an 11 year old Christian girl, Rimsha Masih is another eye opener for the International Community of rising intolerance, violence and terror on children, where a prayer leader supposedly mixed the pages from Quran in the already burnt pages in order  to implicate and accuse the girl of blasphemy. It is obvious that the extremist religious leaders are systematically using this widely controversial law to settle personal scores and evict the minorities in Pakistan from areas dominated by Muslim majority. Now, even the children are not spared from these fanatics. There is serious need for reforming or/and annulling this law: hanging like a sword over the minorities. We demand the government o Pakistan  that this innocent girl should be released and fully protected from religiously instigated mobs who believe in vigilante justice and consider themselves to be above the law.

The EU & US should not hide the fact of Pakistan being involved in almost all the terrorist acts carried out in the region. Both of them should  focus on  Pakistan  which is serving as a laboratory for terrorism. Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism determined to achieve strategic-depth in Afghanistan and creating instability in India through asymmetrical war (terrorism). Pakistan should be warned to face consequences if it does not stop sponsoring terrorism through its Military secret service ISI. It is in the Al Qaeda-ISI-Taliban-run terrorist camps in the border regions with Afghanistan where children are brain-washed, trained and sent to explode bombs as suicide bombers in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A global campaign is needed. A holistic approach, covering all aspects of terrorism is needed to root-out  terrorism and protect our children. We should have the courage to stand firm against the terrorists and say « no to terrorism”. We think lessons have not been learnt even now.

IRESK would like to remind the International Community that Children are an especially vulnerable group in view of their age, mental and physical development, and therefore they require special care and protection. The international standards for the rights of the child that have evolved over the course of many decades are immortalized in several international documents. In 1924, well before the creation of UN,  the League of Nations drafted and adopted the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child. the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted of the UN in 1948, and the 1966 International Covenants. Article 24, Section 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, In 1959, the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1959, the Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989 shall be respected, ratified and implemented in letter and spirit by the state of Pakistan to protect its children from all kind of violence particularly the menace of terrorism.

We request the US, EU, UN, UNICEF and UN Security Council to put pressure on the Government of Pakistan and all the parties (including Taliban) to respect the relevant UN and Security Council resolutions for the protection of the children and face consequences in case of failure.

We urge UN to mobilize the world community towards the forgotten children of Pakistan and Afghanistan who have been systematically deprived of education, the right to express their opinion, the right to healthy life and the right to live. We also request the UN Security Council to declare terrorism on children as one of the grave child rights violation.

Annexure

Methodology,Constraints & Limitations

IRESK collected the statistics on TAC in Pakistan during the

2012 calendar year from January to December. Not only were all the four provinces – Punjab,

Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa and Balochistan – covered, but data was also collected for

FATA. Monthly reports followed incidents and trends. These are compiled in this annual report is an effort to organize all the data collected into a comprehensive volume.

The data presented in this annual report has been collected from different sources. The main

sources were daily newspapers in Urdu and English published from different parts of the

provinces. In the provinces, the regional press was also carefully monitored. Cases were collected from the print media and from other institutions, such as Pakistani based NGOs and International Associations. Thus the majority of TAAC incidents are ‘reported cases’ and mostly relate to only ‘physical’ violence or physical terrorism against children. The social, psychological, cultural and economic dimensions of TAAC are, therefore, understandably not reflected in this data. However, these dimensions need our attention too.

For the present study, the incidents of terrorists attacks against children and their schools reported in  –Punjab, Sindh, KP,  Balochistan and the FATA — were monitored for data gathering. Random Sampling techniques were deployed to select newspapers for data sourcing. English, Urdu and regional language newspapers were all included to cover maximum territory across the country.

The study period was one year starting from January 01 and ending on the 31st of

December 2012.

Tabulation of statistics was undertaken using custom-designed software and databases. Reporting formats were designed to be comprehensive including detailed description of terrorists attacks and motives.

The data analysis is intended to summarize observations in a manner yielding answers to

research questions. For the qualitative analysis of the data the simple percentage and frequency distribution method has been used.

Many limitations were imposed on our data collection and analysis since the data is based on

reported cases only. Therefore, not much information is available about the victims and the terrorist groups and bands beyond what has been formally reported. Also, the data does not cover unreported incidents of Terrorism against children anywhere in Pakistan. Another key element missing in the data are the ages of victims and survivors. The relationship between victim and terrorists and motives behind offences are also mostly missing in reported cases.

Other limitations faced by the study teams arose out of the extremely dangerous security situation in some districts of KP and Balochistan that made access to data on cases of TAAC difficult and, in some cases, impossible. It is also noteworthy that cases of TAAC are often not reported.

Published By IRESK Title Painting By:  Layout Design By:  Printing By : Date of Publication April, 2013