ISLAMABAD: Incidents of militant violence in Pakistan have notably decreased since October last year after Islamabad took punitive measures against neighboring Afghanistan, including border closures and strikes against suspected militant hideouts, the Pakistani military said on Tuesday.
Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), to operate on its soil and India of backing them in attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegations.
The surge in militant violence in Pakistan triggered one of the worst skirmishes between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Oct. last year, after Islamabad hit what it called TTP targets inside Afghanistan. Pakistan has since suspended all trade with Afghanistan, despite a ceasefire reached between the neighbors in Doha on Oct. 19.
Speaking at a press conference, Pakistani military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry highlighted Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts and said security forces had conducted 75,175 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) last year, killing 2,597 militants.
“There were 761 terrorism incidents reported across Pakistan in 2021, while the number went up to 5,397 in 2025,” he said. “Before Oct. 2025, there were 540 terror incidents occurring monthly, but the number has come down to 469 per month after Pakistan took strong measures.”
