Pakistan records sharp rise in militant violence in 2025

Pakistan recorded a sharp increase in militant violence through the first nine months of 2025, with insurgent attacks and heavy military operations leaving thousands dead and raising fears that this year could become one of the deadliest in a decade, according to two security research organizations and multiple official accounts. The surge in violence has included large-scale ambushes and raids in northwestern districts bordering Afghanistan, recent killings of senior militants and a string of abductions of government workers and teachers.

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said militant attacks fell in September from a record August high but noted sustained, high levels of violence over the year. PICSS recorded 69 attacks in September, down from 143 in August, that month producing 135 deaths and 173 injuries. Fatalities included 61 security personnel, 20 militants and 54 civilians. The Centre for Research and Security Studies reported a more than 46 percent rise in violence in the third quarter, with at least 901 fatalities and 599 injuries in 329 incidents. CRSS recorded 2,414 fatalities in the first three quarters of 2025, compared with 2,546 for all of...