Even after a couple of years, it is difficult to gauge the success of Zarb-e-Azb, largely because figures provided to the public come from only one source, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of the Pakistani Army. There is no other reliable source of facts, and no independent media organization was allowed to embed with the army units fighting the Islamist militants in North Waziristan (aside from occasional tours organized by ISPR for select groups of journalists to show destroyed militant hideouts and captured weapons).
The Jamestown Foundation
So, it's just conducted tours for selected groups by the ISPR to show what they want to show!! Thus in contrast to what you just mentioned, it's clear that journalists are debarred from entering the area leave alone their being embedded with army units. Thus, the outside world doesn't know what exactly is going on. Do you?
It is actually quite easy to gauge the success of Zard-e-azb. I refer you to the following data: Fatalities in Terrorist Violence in Pakistan 2003-2016
Zarb-e-azb started in mid 2014. Note the number of civilian casualties in 2013, and then in 2014 and 2015. That is a quantifiable way to gauge the success of Zarb-e-azb.