By Imran Nasir

Islamabad — Pakistan’s counterterrorism landscape deteriorated sharply in 2025, with violence intensifying in both scale and lethality and pushing multiple indicators to their worst levels in a decade, according to new data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) on Sunday.

PICSS reported that combat-related deaths jumped 73% to 3,387 in 2025, up from 1,950 in 2024. The toll comprised 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians, and 28 members of pro-government peace committees.

Militants accounted for about 62% of total fatalities, marking the deadliest year for militant losses since 2015. Compared with 2024, militant deaths surged 122%, reflecting intensified security operations amid escalating insurgent activity.

The year was also among the deadliest for state forces. Security personnel deaths rose 26% to 664, the highest annual figure since 2011. Civilian fatalities increased 24% to 580, the worst toll since 2015, underscoring the expanding human cost of the conflict beyond combatants.

Injuries climbed steeply as well. PICSS recorded 2,263 injured in 2025—a 53% increase year-on-year and the highest since 2014. The injured included 1,025 security personnel, 982 civilians, 228 militants, and 28 peace committee members. Injuries among security forces rose 62%, civilian injuries 40%, and militant injuries 61% compared with 2024.

Operational indicators pointed to sustained momentum by militant groups. Militant attacks increased 17% to at least 1,063 incidents, the highest annual total since 2014. Suicide bombings rose 53%, with 26 attacks recorded during the year. PICSS also flagged a growing reliance on small drones and quadcopters, logging 33 drone-related incidents in 2025, alongside expanded use of unmanned aerial systems by security forces.

Law enforcement activity intensified in parallel. Arrests of suspected militants jumped 83% to 497, the highest annual total since 2017. Kidnappings surged 162%, with 215 abductions reported—the highest single-year figure since 2012, according to PICSS’s militancy database.

Geographically, violence remained heavily concentrated in Pashtun-majority districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the former tribal areas, and in Balochistan, where militants continued to target security installations, infrastructure, and civilians.

PICSS said the data collectively indicate a conflict environment marked by higher frequency attacks, greater lethality, and evolving tactics, posing renewed challenges for Pakistan’s counterterrorism and internal security efforts as the country enters 2026.