By Zahid Shah

ISLAMABAD - Militant violence in Pakistan surged in January after a brief lull at the end of last year, with a sharp rise in fatalities among militants, civilians, and security personnel, according to data released by an Islamabad-based security think tank on Monday.

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said combat-related deaths rose 43% in January 2026 compared with December, with 361 people killed, including 242 militants, 73 civilians, and 46 members of the security forces. At least 135 people were injured during the month.

Balochistan emerged as the main hotspot, accounting for the deadliest incidents and the bulk of counterterrorism operations.

Violence in the southwestern province spiked dramatically during the final days of January, when coordinated militant attacks at least 12 locations on Saturday were followed by large-scale security operations.

Pakistani officials say those clashes and subsequent operations left 145 militants dead. At the same time, 31 civilians and 17 security personnel also lost their lives, pushing the overall toll from the weekend violence to nearly 200 people.

PICSS said January recorded 87 militant attacks nationwide, up from 68 in December. Of these, 27 attacks took place in Balochistan, while 38 were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20 in the province’s tribal districts, and two in Punjab.

The think tank noted that although Balochistan saw relative calm for much of the month, violence escalated sharply in its final two days. Simultaneous assaults by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), followed by intensified security force operations, resulted in the deaths of at least 172 militants in the province, the highest monthly militant toll since the current wave of insurgency began there in 2001.

January also saw three suicide attacks, two of them in Balochistan and claimed by the BLA, PICSS said.

Elsewhere, Punjab reported only two militant attacks, but security forces carried out a coordinated crackdown across several districts, including Lahore, arresting at least 53 suspected militants. Analysts said the arrests likely disrupted plans for major attacks in the provincial capital.

No militant attacks were reported during the month from Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad, or Gilgit-Baltistan, according to the report.

Pakistan has faced a renewed rise in militant violence over the past year, particularly in border regions and Balochistan, as security forces intensify operations against armed groups targeting civilians, infrastructure and state institutions.