Pakistan's rising graph of terrorism-related deaths shows no sign of slowing, with 43 people dead and 20 injured when six motorcycle-borne terrorists raked a bus with automatic gunfire in the Pakistani port city of Karachi on Wednesday.
Terrorism-related deaths in Pakistan increased 748.15% between 2005 and 2014. Over the same period, India saw a 70% decline in terrorism-related deaths.
As many as 56,480 people have been killed in Pakistan since 2005, at an average of nearly 14 a day.
Of those dead, 54.43% (30,799) were terrorists, 34.95% (19,740) civilians and 10.52% (5,941) security forces.
Source: South Asia Terrorism Portal; *Figures for 2015 up to May 10.
The bus attacked in Karachi was reported to be carrying around 60 Ismaili Shia Muslims. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan's Shia Muslims have been frequently targeted by the Pakistani Taliban and other Sunni Muslim extremists.
Prior to the bus attack, as many as 1,520 people have been killed in Pakistan in 2015 alone from terrorism-related violence, according to the latest data released by the South Asian Terrorism Portal.
Like Pakistan, neighbouring India too has suffered the effects of terrorism, although at a lesser level.
Since 2005, 19,385 persons have been killed, at an average of nearly five a day. Of those killed, 45.97% (8,911) were terrorists, 37.72% (7,312) civilians and 16.31% (3,162) security forces.
Source: South Asia Terrorism Portal; *Figures for 2015 up to May 10.
In India, 251 people have died so far in 2015 from terrorism-related events.
(Indiaspend.org is a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit)
