Pakistan sees 73% surge in terrorism-related deaths, Balochistan & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa worst hit: Report

Terror-related deaths in Pakistan have seen a big jump in recent times. Such fatalities surged by 73 per cent in February compared to the previous month.

The restive Balochistan province bore the major brunt of this violence.

The Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) recorded 121 fatalities and 103 injuries from 54 terrorist attacks across the country last month. Balochistan alone accounted for 62 per cent of all deaths, underscoring the province’s growing insurgency, according to a report by Dawn.

Across the country, 32 of the 54 attacks were carried out by religiously motivated militant groups, primarily the TTP and its affiliates.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan suffer

According to the data cited, the frequency and intensity of attacks by banned Baloch insurgent groups have increased. In one particularly deadly assault, 18 Pakistan army soldiers were killed in Kalat.

Of the total casualties, 56 were security and law-enforcement personnel, 37 were civilians, and 28 were militants. Three attacks specifically targeting non-Baloch workers and travellers in Balochistan left 21 people dead and seven others wounded.

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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) also saw a high level of violence, with 30 attacks claiming 45 lives and injuring 58 others. Responsibility for these assaults has been attributed to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Lashkar-i-Islam, and the Islamic State-Khorasan, among others.

The province’s southern districts– Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, and North and South Waziristan– were worst affected.

Balochistan, however, recorded the most fatalities, with 75 people killed and 45 injured in 23 attacks. Baloch insurgent groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), and Baloch Republican Guards (BRG), carried out 22 attacks, accounting for 74 deaths. The TTP was behind a single attack in the province that left one person dead.

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Behind the crises in Balochistan

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and most resource-rich province, has been grappling with a separatist insurgency for decades.

The roots of this unrest trace back to 1948, when Balochistan’s contested accession to Pakistan sowed deep-seated resentment. Since then, the province has witnessed five major armed uprisings. Each time, the state has responded with a heavy-handed approach—military operations, enforced disappearances, and strict security measures—rather than addressing the underlying grievances.

Economic exploitation has further fueled the insurgency. Despite being rich in natural gas and minerals, Balochistan remains the most underdeveloped region in the country. Many villages near gas fields lack access to their own resources, and the province receives only a fraction of the billions in revenue it generates.

This has fostered a strong perception among the Baloch people that their wealth is being extracted while they remain in poverty– a fuelling factor for the insurgency.

Rather than engaging in meaningful dialogue, the Pakistani military has relied on force to suppress dissent. Reports suggest that since 2003, at least 7,000 activists and civilians have been abducted or killed. This iron-fisted approach has only deepened resentment, making Pakistan’s rule over Balochistan appear more like an occupation than governance.

Root of the problem in KP

While Balochistan’s conflict stems from economic and military repression, the insurgency in KP is a direct result of Pakistan’s long history of supporting jihadist militants in a bid to build its influence.

Pakistan’s involvement with Islamist fighters dates back to the 1980s during the Soviet-Afghan War, when it armed and trained mujahideen with US and Saudi assistance. This strategy continued into the 1990s, with Pakistan’s military helping the Taliban take control of Afghanistan, believing that a friendly regime in Kabul would provide strategic depth against India.

Following the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan publicly sided with the US in the War on Terror while covertly protecting Taliban factions. This contradictory approach ultimately backfired. By 2007, disillusioned militant groups in Pakistan’s tribal regions united under the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and declared war on the state.

The TTP launched a brutal campaign of violence, targeting schools, security forces, and civilians. Although military operations weakened the group, the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021 provided fresh momentum to the TTP. Since then, attacks in Pakistan, particularly in KP, have surged once again.

Today, Pakistan faces the consequences of its own policies – a jihadist insurgency that even military strikes and border fortifications have failed to contain. The country’s long-standing reliance on militant groups as strategic assets has now come full circle, leaving Islamabad struggling to manage the very forces it once nurtured.