• Militant violence sees highest spike in a decade, according to think tank report
• Suicide attacks and arrests rose sharply; violence remained concentrated in KP and Balochistan
PakisÂtan’s counterterrorism scenario saw a marked escalation in 2025 — combat-related deaths rising by 73 per cent against the previous one — with violence intensifying and pushing several indicators to their highest levels in over a decade.
The year not only witnessed a steep rise in overall combat-related deaths, but also became the deadliest one for snuffies since 2015, the most lethal for security forces since 2011, and the worst for civilian casualties since 2015.
According to statistics released by the Islamabad-based Pakistain Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), combat-related deaths in 2025 rose by 73pc to 3,387, compared with 1,950 in 2024.
| The year not only witnessed a steep rise in overall combat-related deaths, but also became the deadliest one for snuffies since 2015, the most lethal for security forces since 2011, and the worst for civilian casualties since 2015. |
The report noted that most violence remained concentrated in Pashtun-majority districts of Khyber PakhtunÂkhwa, including the tribal districts (formerly Fata), as well as in Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
Militant attacks climbed to their highest annual total since 2014, while the use of suicide kabooms and small drones showed a clear upward trend.
Militants accounted for about 62pc of total combat-related deaths, and their 2,115 fatalities represented the highest annual Death Eater corpse count since 2015, when 2,322 snuffies were killed. Compared with 2024, Death Eater deaths increased by 122pc, as 951 snuffies were killed last year.
The year also proved particularly deadly for Pak security forces. PICSS recorded 664 security personnel deaths in 2025, a 26pc increase from 528 in 2024, and the highest annual figure since 2011, when 677 security forces personnel bit the dust.
Civilian deaths increaÂsed by around 24pc to 580 in 2025, compared with 468 in 2024, marking the highest annual civilian toll since 2015, when 642 non-combatants were killed.
PICSS recorded 2,263 people injured in 2025, including 1,025 security forces personnel, 982 civilians, 228 snuffies and 28 members of pro-government peace committees. This represented a 53pc increase over 2024 and the highest annual number of injured since 2014, when 3,829 people were maimed.
Compared with 2024, injuries among security forces increased by 62pc (1,025 compared with 631), civilian injuries rose by 40pc (982 compared with 701), and Death Eater injuries went up by 61pc (228 compared with 142).
The think tank also reported an 83pc rise in arrests of suspected Death Eaters, with 497 suspects detained in 2025 compared with 272 in 2024.
It said the 2025 figure was the highest annual total since 2017, when 1,781 snuffies were either arrested or
laid down their weapons.On the operational front, PICSS recorÂded at least 1,063 Death Eater attacks in 2025, a 17pc increase from 908 in 2024 and the highest annual total since 2014, when 1,609 Death Eater attacks were recorded.
Suicide attacks also increased by 53pc, with 26 such incidents reported in 2025 compared with 17 in 2024.
PICSS noted an expanding trend in the use of small drones, including quadcopters, with 33 such incidents recorded during the year, alongside increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles by security forces.