KARACHI: Pakistan witnessed a 46 percent surge in militant violence during the third quarter of 2025, resulting in 901 deaths, an Islamabad-based think tank said on Tuesday, adding that most fatalities were reported in the country’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan.

The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), regularly target security forces and their installations in KP, while separatists like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) demand independence for Balochistan, accusing the central government of exploiting the province’s natural resources, a charge Islamabad denies.

The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said in its latest security report the number of casualties during the third quarter jumped to 901 from 616 in the second quarter.

“With at least 901 fatalities and 599 injuries — among civilians, security personnel and outlaws — resulting from 329 incidents of violence, including terror attacks and counter-terror operations, Pakistan witnessed an over 46 percent surge in overall violence in its security landscape for the third quarter of 2025,” the report said.

It noted this year had already proven as deadly as the whole of 2024, with 2,414 recorded deaths so far, making 2025 the deadliest year in a decade if the current trend continues.

It highlighted that Pakistan intensified its response to militants in the third quarter of 2025, with security forces inflicting heavier losses on them.

“Accounting for over 96 percent of the country’s violence in this quarter, KP and Balochistan stood out as the most volatile provinces,” the report said.

“KP was the worst-hit region, suffering nearly 71 percent of the total violence-linked fatalities and over 67 percent of the incidents of violence, followed by Balochistan, with over 25 percent fatalities and incidents.”

The report said 516 militants were killed in the third quarter of 2025, compared with 385 security personnel and civilians killed altogether.

Civilians were the most targeted this quarter in almost 123 militant attacks while security forces were targeted 106 times, it added.

The think tank warned that escalating violence could further strain Pakistan’s fragile security environment unless Islamabad strengthened counterterrorism measures.

CRSS shared its findings on a day when a powerful suicide blast targeting the Frontier Corps headquarters in Balochistan’s capital Quetta killed at least 10 people and triggered a shootout in which four militants were killed.