(Image source from: Terrorism cost Pakistan $100 billion)

Terrorism cost Pakistani economy nearly $100 billion (Rs 6.4 lakh crore) between 2004-05 to 2014-15, according to the data released by the Pakistan Economic Survey, 2014-15. The amount is enough to finance Pakistan’s education budget for the next 134 years (based on the current year cost of education).

Pakistan contends that the heightened incidence of terrorism is due to the reaction to the conflict and instability in Afghanistan, after the 9/11 attacks. The US invasion of the Afghanistan has led to an increased influx of the refugees into the bordering Pakistan, which has “witnessed a sudden spike in the frequency and scale of terrorist attacks”, the Economic Survey reports. Pakistan’s economy has grown at 4.2 % during the  year 2014-15.

Terrorism in Pakistan is driven by the sectarian and ethnic factors and 54,960 people (including terrorists) have died since 2005 to till date. Pakistan has seen an increase of  748% in terrorism-related deaths over the past decade.

Even after experiencing huge terrorist attacks, Pakistan’s Army and ISI are hosting terrorism as a cottage industry. This is done for extorting financial assistance from world over by crying to be the victims of terrorism. Pakistan is known to be the haven of terrorism.

By Premji