International Desk: Pakistan’s internal security crisis appears to be spiralling, with the country recording more than 3,000 terrorism-related incidents in 2026, leaving 819 people dead, including hundreds of military and security personnel. The staggering figures have fuelled renewed criticism of Islamabad’s repeated claims of combating terrorism while violence continues to engulf large parts of the country.
The grim statistics were disclosed by Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during a press conference in Islamabad.
According to the official figures, 3,145 terrorist incidents have been reported across Pakistan this year. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for 1,971 attacks, while Balochistan witnessed 1,148 incidents, highlighting the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the country’s most volatile regions.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said Pakistani security forces had killed 2,084 militants during various operations in 2026, averaging around 10 militants neutralised every day—a figure he described as the highest on record. However, despite thousands of intelligence-led operations and heavy military deployments, terrorist violence continues unabated, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism strategy.
The official acknowledged that terrorist attacks this year claimed 819 lives, including 303 military personnel and 194 members of the police and civil armed forces, underscoring the growing toll on Pakistan’s own security establishment.
He further revealed that authorities conducted 40,348 intelligence-based operations, including 31,000 in Balochistan, reflecting the scale of unrest gripping the province. Nevertheless, the persistence of large-scale attacks suggests that militancy remains deeply entrenched despite extensive security operations.
Lt Gen Chaudhry also stated that 28 suicide attacks were recorded in Pakistan during 2026, alleging that many involved Afghan nationals and individuals linked to Afghan security forces.
The latest figures paint a stark picture of a nation struggling to contain escalating extremist violence, with critics arguing that Pakistan’s long-standing security policies have failed to eliminate the militant networks that continue to destabilise the country and claim hundreds of lives each year.
