title: Human cost of political violence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the cost of political violence in terms of human life and its influence on social, psychological and financial aspects of community.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study conducted from 1987 to 1989.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Accident and Emergency, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine hundred and fifty four victims including two hundred and fifty seven dead.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the victims was 27.29 +/- 9.46 years with a male to female ratio of 33:1. All ethnic groups suffered to some extent. No case of violence on religious differences was reported during this period. Firearms were frequently used. Most of the deaths (92.2%) occurred due to firearm injuries. Landhi, Korangi, Malir and Shah Faisal Colony were the worst affected areas. There was however no significant difference between them. The projected loss of life for the dead was approximately 3.15 million days. The same was difficult to assess for the injured because of multifactorial reasons. Six thousand four hundred and ninety two close family members suffered from Psychological and Physical Trauma. The number of distant members affected psychologically was estimated to be 0.566 million. Schooling of approximately five thousand four hundred thirty seven children of the victims suffered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Political violence has significant short and long term effects on the society in terms of physical and psychological trauma, financial losses, poor schooling and health, biased pattern of child development, migration of families and further division of society into identifiable communities which may prolong the conflict.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Jamali
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghulamullah
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mehboob
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan; D011057:Politics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data