Hassam Uddin
In the first three months of 2025, security forces carried out ongoing operations, namely ‘Clean-Up’ and ‘Al-Badr,’ targeting elements declared as “Khawarij” by the state, leading to the elimination of 495 terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. However, the region witnessed a total of 354 terrorist-related incidents, resulting in the death and injury of 1,439 people.
According to a quarterly report from a research institution, 897 deaths and 542 injuries were reported across various cities in the two provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with casualties involving both security personnel and terrorists. The report compares these figures to the final quarter of 2024, where 1,028 deaths were recorded, showing a 13% decrease in fatalities this year.
The majority of these fatalities and violent incidents were concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which accounted for over 98% of the total deaths and 94% of violent occurrences. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 63% of the recorded deaths from violence occurred. However, there was a promising 18% reduction in violence compared to the last quarter of 2024. Conversely, Balochistan experienced a 35% decline in fatalities but saw a concerning 15% increase in violence compared to the previous quarter.
The report further highlights that in the first quarter of 2025, 495 terrorists were killed, while 402 security forces and civilians lost their lives. The overall fatality rate for both security forces and civilians stands at approximately 45%, while the death rate for terrorists remains higher at over 55%.
The casualties among security forces decreased by 50%, and civilian deaths saw a 13% reduction, a notable improvement compared to the fourth quarter of 2024.
During the holy month of Ramadan, over 500 individuals fell victim to terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with 313 people martyred and 217 others injured. Various banned organizations, including Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), TTP-Gul Bahadur Group, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA), have claimed responsibility for these attacks.
