KARACHI: Pakistan witnessed a decline in militant violence by nearly 32% during the second quarter of 2025, an Islamabad-based think tank said in its report this week, pointing out that the attacks have spread to the country’s “new or less prepared regions.”

Pakistan has seen an uptick in violence in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, both bordering Afghanistan, in recent months. The Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) regularly target security forces in their bid to impose their strict brand of Islam across the country. In Balochistan, separatist ethnic militants demand independence from the center, whom they accuse of exploiting the province’s natural resources. Islamabad denies the allegations.

The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said in its report on Monday that the number of casualties during the second quarter dropped to 615 from 900 in the first quarter.

“With at least 615 fatalities and 388 injuries — among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws — in about 273 incidents of violence, including terror attacks and counterterror operations, Pakistan witnessed a nearly 32% decline in overall violence, and several other promising trends in its security landscape for the second quarter of 2025,” the report said.

The report pointed out that the casualties suffered by security personnel and civilians combined during the second quarter, 282, were still less than the total number of outlaws’ fatalities, 333, in the same period. It said this amounted to over 15% less comparative losses among civilians and security officials.

The CRSS report also said Pakistan’s Balochistan and KP provinces saw 40% and 32% less violence, respectively, compared to the first quarter. It added that violence-linked fatalities dropped from 567 to 389 in KP and from 317 to 190 in Balochistan, indicating a possible strategic breakthrough on the back of a “proactive hunt-neutralize-capture campaign.”

“While the terrorism and insurgency-induced violence receded in these conflict-hit provinces, both regions continued to bear the brunt of violence, accounting for over 94% of the total fatalities and 93% incidents of violence recorded in this quarter,” the report said.

The CRSS said that while the TTP continued to lead the violence in KP, Balochistan remained a “parallel epicenter of unrest” marked by a mix of separatist militancy and targeted violence, particularly against state forces.

“The spread of militancy into previously calmer areas is also concerning,” the report said, pointing out that Punjab recorded a surge in fatalities by 162% during the second quarter. The number of casualties in Punjab rose from 8 in the first quarter to 21 in the second one.

The Azad Kashmir region, which reported zero fatalities in the first quarter, recorded six casualties in the second one while Islamabad and Sindh remained largely unaffected.

“While the intensity of violence has eased in traditional hotspots, its spread into new or less prepared regions will require continued attention and policy adjustments,” the report said.

The outlaws suffered the majority of all fatalities in this quarter, over 54%, which the report said amounts to 333. Civilians suffered 153 casualties or 25% of the total while security and government officials suffered 129 fatalities at 21% during the second quarter.

Civilians suffered 107 terror attacks compared to security officials who suffered 91 while the outlaws were targeted in 75 security operations. Moreover, civilians suffered 249 injuries compared to security officials, who suffered 120 injuries and outlaws with only 19, the report shared.

CRSS said that the least amount of injuries suffered by militants indicates “a high degree of lethal precision in state-led counter-terrorism operations.”