Pakistan saw a sharp month-on-month easing in terrorist attacks in October, according to figures from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based security think tank. The country recorded 143 attacks, down 37 per cent from 226 in September, reversing two straight months of rising violence.
Deaths linked to those attacks fell to 111 from 260, a 57 per cent drop. Injuries fell even more steeply, from 242 to 69, or 71 per cent. PICSS said injuries from terrorist attacks, combined injuries from attacks and security operations, and injuries among security forces personnel all hit their lowest monthly levels in the past year.
Casualties, suicide attacks and operations
Attacks and counterterrorism operations together left 53 security forces personnel, 45 civilians and five peace committee members dead, while 169 militants were killed. Of 71 people injured, 29 were security personnel, 11 peace committee members and 31 civilians. The 169 militants killed was also the lowest monthly total in 12 months.
Suicide attacks fell to one incident in October from three in September—jointly the lowest level over that 12-month window. The October case was a vehicle-borne suicide attack that caused no deaths or injuries. September’s three attacks, including two vehicle-borne ones, had killed 45 people and wounded 138; PICSS said fatalities and injuries from suicide attacks both fell by 100 per cent in October.
Security forces’ operations killed 156 militants and led to seven arrests. Two security personnel and three civilians died in those operations, and two security personnel were injured.
Provincial picture
Balochistan saw one of the clearest improvements: attacks fell 46 per cent, from 132 to 71. Attack deaths dropped from 136 to 44 (about 68 per cent), and injuries from 63 to 37 (41 per cent). Operations in the province killed 79 militants; three civilians died and two security personnel were injured. The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), had confirmed that an army major was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack—a roadside bomb—in Balochistan during the month.
On mainland Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, excluding the former tribal areas, PICSS counted 40 attacks versus 58 in September (down 31 per cent). Deaths fell from 90 to 38 (about 58 per cent) and injuries from 165 to 19 (88 per cent). Operations there killed 42 militants; two security personnel died.
In the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), attacks edged down 12 per cent, from 34 to 30. Attack deaths fell from 33 to 25, while injuries rose slightly from 11 to 13. Operations killed 35 militants. Punjab recorded two attacks after none in September, with four deaths and no injuries. Sindh had no terrorist attacks, though operations there led to seven arrests. Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan had no recorded attacks.
Kidnappings and the longer view
Despite fewer attacks and casualties, kidnappings rose. PICSS logged 88 people abducted in terrorist incidents in October, up 22 per cent from 72 in September—the highest monthly total in the preceding year. Balochistan accounted for 70 cases, nearly 80 per cent of the national figure. The think tank said kidnapping remained a significant tactic even as attack numbers fell.
Over January–October 2026, Pakistan recorded 1,376 terrorist attacks. Together with counterterrorism operations, those events left 3,902 dead—645 security personnel, 65 peace committee members, 595 civilians and 2,597 militants—and 1,953 injured. Versus the same ten months of 2025, attacks were up 53 per cent and the combined death toll up 36 per cent. Separately, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) reported that violence-linked fatalities rose 83 per cent in the third quarter of 2026, reversing earlier quarterly declines.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- January–October 2025: Baseline for PICSS’s ten-month comparison; 2026 attacks and combined deaths later rose versus this period.
- First and second quarters of 2026: CRSS had reported a declining trend in violence-linked fatalities.
- Third quarter of 2026: CRSS said violence-linked fatalities surged 83 per cent nationwide.
- September 2026: PICSS recorded 226 terrorist attacks, 260 attack deaths and 242 injuries, plus three suicide attacks that killed 45 and injured 138.
- October 2026: Attacks fell to 143; attack deaths to 111 and injuries to 69; one suicide attack caused no casualties; kidnappings rose to 88.
Aasan alfaaz mein
October mein Pakistan mein dehshatgard hamle September se 37 percent kam hue. Mareez aur zakhmi logon ki tadaad bhi bohot ghat gayi. Phir bhi kidnapping barh gayi, khas tor par Balochistan mein. Poore saal ke hisaab se abhi bhi surakhi ka pehlu mushkil hai.
