Islamabad, March 6, 2025: Pakistan has emerged as the world’s second-most terrorism-affected country in 2024, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 report. The country moved up from fourth place the previous year, reflecting a sharp surge in terrorist activity and fatalities.
The report highlights a 45% increase in terrorism-related deaths, with casualties rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024—one of the steepest spikes globally. The total number of terrorist attacks more than doubled, jumping from 517 in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024, surpassing the 1,000 mark for the first time since the Index’s inception.
The alarming findings were released a day after Pakistani security forces thwarted a terrorist attack on the Bannu Cantonment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing all 16 militants involved. The attack resulted in the martyrdom of five soldiers and 13 civilians, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The GTI 2025 report underscores Pakistan’s long-standing concerns regarding the use of Afghanistan’s territory by militant groups, particularly the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It links the surge in terrorism in Pakistan to the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021, which has enabled TTP and other groups to operate with greater freedom along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The TTP remained the deadliest terrorist group in Pakistan, responsible for 52% of all terrorism-related deaths in 2024. The group carried out 482 attacks, resulting in 558 deaths. TTP attacks doubled compared to 2023, with a 90% increase in fatalities. The number of TTP-linked attacks in 2024 was the highest ever recorded, while fatalities caused by the group reached their highest level since 2011.
The provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both bordering Afghanistan, remained the hardest hit, accounting for 96% of all terrorist attacks and deaths in Pakistan in 2024.
The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) was responsible for the deadliest terror attack of the year, in which a suicide bomber killed at least 25 civilians and soldiers at Quetta railway station.
Attacks by BLA and similar groups surged from 116 in 2023 to 504 in 2024. Fatalities quadrupled, rising from 88 in 2023 to 388 in 2024.
In response to the escalating threat, the GTI report highlights Pakistan’s intensified counter-terrorism measures, particularly Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, launched by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in June 2024.
The campaign includes targeted airstrikes and military operations to eliminate militant strongholds and capture key insurgent leaders. As part of this strategy, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, targeting TTP camps in a bid to curb cross-border attacks.
