Pakistan experienced a sharp increase in civilian deaths from terrorism in February 2025, despite a relatively small rise in the overall number of attacks, according to a new report from the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
The report reveals a stark contrast between the number of attacks and the resulting casualties. While the country witnessed 79 terrorist attacks in February, a marginal increase from the previous month, civilian fatalities surged by a staggering 175 percent compared to January, reaching 55. This represents the highest number of civilian deaths in a single month since August 2024, and marks the first time since then that civilian casualties surpassed those of security forces.
The report paints a grim picture of the nationwide impact of terrorism. In addition to the 55 civilian deaths, 47 security personnel were killed, and a further 45 civilians and 81 security personnel were injured. These figures highlight the indiscriminate nature of the attacks and the widespread suffering they inflict.
PICSS also highlights that 156 terrorists were eliminated in February, while security forces’ casualties declined by 18 percent (from 57 in January to 47 in February).
The report also notes a significant increase in arrests, with 66 suspects detained in February – the highest monthly figure since December 2023 (when 139 terrorists were apprehended). Fifty of these arrests occurred in the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, FATA), while 16 were made in Punjab.
Balochistan remains the most volatile province, accounting for a significant portion of the violence. The province recorded 32 attacks resulting in 56 deaths (35 civilians, 10 security personnel, and 11 militants) and 44 injuries (32 security forces personnel and 12 civilians). Two abductions were also reported in Balochistan. The Bashir Zeb and Azad factions of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), and the United Baloch Army (UBA) claimed responsibility for the majority of these attacks. Security forces responded by killing 11 terrorists in the province.
The merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa experienced 21 attacks, leading to the deaths of 22 security personnel and 8 civilians, with 26 security personnel and 11 civilians injured. Security forces in this region killed at least 98 terrorists, injured 15, and arrested 50 suspects. The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Islam, and factions of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group claimed responsibility for many of these attacks.
In the rest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 23 attacks resulted in 14 security personnel and 12 civilian deaths, along with 22 injuries to both civilians and security forces. Security forces killed 47 terrorists in this region. Sindh saw only three minor attacks, resulting in one security official death and one injury. One attack was claimed by the Sindhu Desh Revolutionary Army and another by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, who notably claimed their first-ever attack outside of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when a policeman was shot dead in Karachi’s Manghopir area on February 15. No attacks were reported in Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, or Islamabad, although 16 suspects were arrested in Punjab.
The rise in civilian deaths belies claims by TTP and several other groups that civilians will not be targeted in their operations which will instead be focused on security forces.
