ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: At least 21,500 civilians were killed in Pakistan between 2001 and 2014 as a result of the war on terrorism, says a new report recently issued by the Costs of War Project at Brown’s University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.
It makes a total of 149,000 deaths if included figures in both Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as all human loses including security personnel and militants.
The report titled “War Related Death, Injury, and Displacement in Afghanistan and Pakistan 2001-2014” says that 149,000 deaths include US military members, contractors as well as at least 26,270 civilians in Afghanistan and 21,500 in Pakistan.
It says that an additional 162,000 people were also injured since the US-led offensive began in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.
“This report reminds us that the citizens of Afghanistan and Pakistan have … suffered staggering untold and irreparable losses,” the Brown University Professor and Co-Director of the project Catherine Lutz said.
The report points out that war violence, the resulting displacement of individuals from their homes and destruction of the environment and public services have also contributed to an untold number of indirect deaths from malnutrition, disease and lack of access to care.
Pakistan has also suffered a total loss of $107 billion during the last 14 years as a result of the war on terror with $4.53 billion loss in the outgoing fiscal year, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2014-15 released on June 4 this year.
The survey revealed that this $106.98 billion loss included direct and indirect losses estimated by a joint ministerial group including Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.