ISLAMABAD: An upward trend in terrorist attacks across various parts of Pakistan in 2025 has raised questions about the effectiveness of the country’s counterterrorism efforts, as the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan continue to live amid a pervasive sense of insecurity.
A senior defence official rejected this impression, stating that terrorists no longer have any bases or sanctuaries anywhere in Pakistan. “The primary reason for the higher number of incidents in KP is the politically conducive environment that has allowed terrorists to grow,” the official said, quoting the DG ISPR’s remarks made during a detailed briefing.
According to Pakistan Security Report 2025 released by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), terrorism in Pakistan rose by 34 percent in 2025, despite record counter-militancy operations that resulted in the killing of 1,313 militants in military actions and armed clashes with security forces. The report stated that the country witnessed 699 terrorist attacks, resulting in at least 1,034 deaths and 1,366 injuries.
International Crisis Group (ICG) said that Pakistan, with a fragile democratic transition, faces the dual challenges of political instability and “poorly designed counter-terrorism strategies”.
Syed Akhtar Ali Shah former Secretary for Home and Tribal Affairs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, differed with the ICG’s assessment, arguing that at least on paper, Pakistan had formulated a balanced and pragmatic strategy to address terrorism and security challenges. “Our 20-point National Action Plan can be described as an effective strategy. However, its selective implementation created a lot of problems,” said Shah, who also heads the Peshawar-based think tank, Good Governance Forum.
He noted that Pakistan’s policy primarily focused on targeting militants involved in terrorist attacks and suicide bombings, while ignoring the core structures responsible for recruitment. “We are not targeting the nucleus, which continues to recruit fresh militants from different segments of society,” he said.
Shah further pointed out that the lack of coordination between the federal government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, coupled with the lacklustre cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, has provided militants with tactical and strategic advantages, which they continue to exploit to avoid isolation. While the TTP poses a significant threat, terrorist activities existed even before the group’s formation, he pointed out.
Shah also noted that the organizational structures of all militant groups, including the TTP, remain intact. Terrorists, he said, have been confronted physically but not ideologically or digitally. He emphasized that Pakistan must fully implement its 20-point National Action Plan to effectively contain terrorism and curb violence.
“Reliance on a purely militarized approach will not yield the desired results. Good governance, improved coordination between the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments, and enhanced cooperation with Afghanistan can help Pakistan achieve success in the war against terrorism,” Shah suggested.
This scribe contacted PTI leader Sheheryar Afridi and Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Information, Shafi Jan, to seek their comments on federal and KP government coordination in the war on terror, but they did not respond to calls or WhatsApp messages till the filing of this report.
In its February 2025 report, the United Nations stated that al-Qaeda affiliates, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and Yemen’s Ansarullah movement, were accessing Taliban-captured weapons or buying them on the black market after the US led alliance left the country.
According to a UN report, foreign terrorist groups based in Afghanistan take the Taliban victory as a motivation to disseminate their propaganda in Central and South Asia regions, and globally with active presence of such groups in Afghanistan including Al-Qaeda, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State in Khorasan (IS-K).
The defence official agreed with most of the findings of these reports, stating that Afghanistan has become a “centre for terrorism” in the region, with several extremist groups present and active. He said militants cross over from Afghanistan, briefly stay in Pakistan, and then return after carrying out their activities. According to him, terrorist support, training and logistical networks exist in parts of Afghanistan, and this external environment has contributed to terrorist incidents in Pakistan.
He said Pakistan’s security forces have been conducting intelligence-based operations (IBOs) for the past several years but are avoiding large-scale operations due to the displacement such actions cause in affected areas.
The official added that when Ali Amin Gandapur was the KP chief minister, the federal cabinet approved Rs4–5 billion to support people who might be displaced by any future military operation. “We do not know the exact current status of that fund,” he said.
Dr Ashraf Ali, an expert on Afghan affairs and militancy, acknowledged Pakistan’s gains against militancy but cautioned that military successes tend to be short-lived if they are not supported by political, economic and developmental measures.
“What we failed in was the absence of an action plan on the social, political and economic fronts. We also failed to establish an effective governance structure in the tribal districts, formerly known as FATA,” he said.
He added that strained relations with Afghanistan, coupled with a governance vacuum in the ex-FATA districts, have provided militants with opportunities to retreat to their hideouts after carrying out terrorist attacks in different parts of the troubled region.
He further said that, unlike the PPP-ANP governments in the past, the present PML-N government at the centre and the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are not prepared to publicly own and lead the war on terror.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026