During the first eleven months of 2025, Pakistan witnessed a more than 25% increase in overall violence in its security landscape, recording at least 3,187 violence-related deaths (compared to the 2024 total, i.e. 2,546) and 1,981 injuries, among civilians, security personnel and outlaws, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).
The casualties were due to 1,188 incidents of violence, including terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism operations. The violence was overwhelmingly concentrated in the northwest of the country, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, where both regions together accounted for more than 96% of all deaths and 92% of all incidents of violence recorded between January and November 2025.
KP was the worst affected region, suffering almost 68% (2,165) of the total violence-related deaths and over 62% (732) of the incidents of violence, followed by Balochistan, which accounted for over 28% of the total deaths (896) and over 30% of the incidents (366) of violence.
The remaining regions (Sindh, Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB)) collectively experienced 90 incidents, with 126 lives lost, constituting only 4% of all deaths.
The magnitude of violence marks a sharp increase compared to the previous year. The 3,187 deaths recorded in just eleven months of 2025 are 25% more than the total number of deaths for the entire year 2024.
On average, this amounted to approximately 15 victims per day throughout the reporting period. A comparative analysis of deaths reveals distinct operational dynamics between terrorism and state-led counterterrorism efforts.
Security force operations proved particularly impactful during the first eleven months of 2025, resulting in 1,795 militant deaths, approximately 30% more than the 1,392 lives lost in terrorist attacks.
This indicates that, in general, the security forces maintained a significant offensive momentum against armed groups.
However, the provincial breakdown reveals a stark contrast: in KP, security forces dominated the operational landscape. Deaths inflicted during security operations (1,370) exceeded those from terrorist attacks (795) by 72%, highlighting aggressive, large-scale counterterrorism campaigns as the leading cause of casualties in the province.
In Balochistan the dynamic is reversed. Terrorist attacks were responsible for 517 deaths among security force personnel and civilians, 36% more than the 379 deaths caused by security operations.
This suggests that militant groups in the province have retained a greater degree of offensive initiative, posing a persistent and formidable challenge to security forces.
This divergence highlights that while national data reflects an assertive counterterrorism stance, the situation in Balochistan remains especially volatile, with militant activity causing greater losses, an alarming indicator of sustained insurgent pressure in the region.
While deaths from terrorist attacks were numerically lower than those from security operations.
