A significant drop in cross-border terrorist attacks and violence-linked fatalities has been recorded in Pakistan since it closed down the border with Afghanistan, a Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) annual security report revealed. “Terrorist attacks went down by almost 17% in December, preceded by 9% decline in November. Terrorist violence-linked fatalities among civilians and security officials also fell in the last quarter of 2025, by nearly 4% and 19% each in November and December, respectively, as per the data collected by the CRSS. The Pak-Afghan border was shut down for all kinds of trade and other activities on October 11, following the cross-border attacks by terrorists and Afghan forces which resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. The border closure also brought trade activities and pedestrian movement to a standstill. Islamabad says closures curb militant movement; Kabul denies providing safe haven to the militants. At least 23 Pakistan armed forces personnel were martyred and more than 200 Afghan Taliban members and terrorists killed in exchange of heavy cross-border firing on the night of October 11, the military’s media wing said on October 12. READ MORE: 23 security personnel martyred, over 200 Taliban, terrorists killed in response: ISPR “Pakistan will continue to exercise its right to defend its people by persistent neutralisation of terror targets if the Taliban-led Afghan government fails to act against terrorists operating from their territory,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had stated. It had said Pakistan called upon the Afghan Taliban government to take immediate and verifiable actions to neutralise terrorist groups, operating from their territory. It had said if the Taliban government continued to sponsor terrorist outfits, in cohorts with India, for shortsighted objective of destabilising the region, the people and the state of Pakistan would not rest until the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan was completely eliminated. Decade’s most violent year The CRSS report said with an almost 34% surge in overall violence, 2025 went by as the most violent year for Pakistan in a decade. “The country has suffered a sustained escalation in violence for five consecutive years since 2021, coinciding with the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan; with almost 38% in 2021, over 15% in 2022, 56% in 2023, nearly 67% in 2024, and 34% in 2025,” it said. 2025 marked another grim year for Pakistan’s security landscape, it said, adding that as many as 3417 violence-linked fatalities and 2134 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws resulted from 1272 incidents of violence — terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism operations. The comparative data for 2024 and 2025 reveals a sharp escalation in terrorism and counter-terrorism linked violence nationwide, with fatalities rising from 2555 in 2024 to 3417 in 2025, marking an increase of 862 deaths, or a roughly 34% year-on-year surge in violence. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan suffer the most The most significant surge in violence was recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the fatalities rose from 1620 in 2024 to 2331 in 2025, an absolute increase of 711 deaths, accounting for over 82% of the net national rise and marking almost a 44% year-on-year surge in violence in the province. Balochistan also had an upward trend, with fatalities increasing from 787 to 956; an additional 169 deaths, which are nearly 22% higher than the previous year’s figures. In contrast, the CRSS said, Punjab and Sindh experienced comparatively lower levels of violence. The former recorded 25 incidents of violence resulting in 40 fatalities and 24 injuries, representing just 1.15% of total casualties, while the latter saw 51 incidents causing 56 fatalities and 40 injuries; 1.73 percent of the total. These figures suggest relative containment of violence despite the provinces’ large populations, likely reflecting stronger policing and intelligence-led counter-terrorism efforts. The study said Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Islamabad stand out for a different reason. While incidents numbers remain minimal, the injury figures are relatively high, with the former recording 103 injuries, and the latter registering 38, from just five incidents at each location. AJK recorded 15 fatalities in 2025 compared to zero violence in 2024, an occurrence which is significant in itself, indicating that violence is gradually spreading to regions which were peaceful earlier. Gilgit-Baltistan remained the least affected region, with negligible fatalities and injuries, confirming that large-scale violence has not taken root there. Compared to last year, though small in absolute numbers, the region recorded a four-fold increase from 1 to 4 fatalities. In contrast, several regions experienced declines in fatalities with Islamabad recording reduction from 26 to 15, Punjab from 66 to 40, and Sindh from 55 to 56, denoting a marginal incline. These reductions suggest relative containment of lethal violence in Pakistan’s political and economic centres. Most lethal year for outlaws With about 2060 deaths as a result of at least 392 security operations, the outlaws accounted for over 60% of the fatalities recorded this year, surpassing the combined fatal losses among the civilians and security officials — 1357 fatalities (40% of total) suffered in around 880 terrorist attacks. The outlaws may have suffered the most of the fatalities in 2025, but the toll of injuries remained higher among civilians and security officials, suffering over 93% of all injuries recorded, compared to 7% among outlaws. The majority of the injuries were sustained by the civilians (1187 – 56%), followed by security officials (793 – 37%), and outlaws (7% – 154). The data ranging from 2013 to 2025, also reveals that 2025 turned out to be the deadliest year for outlaws in a decade, as they suffered their highest fatalities since 2015, and surged by over 120% this year compared to 2024, with October being their deadliest month (with 319 fatalities) this year as the security forces intensified nationwide counterterrorism operations, followed by November as their second deadliest month. READ MORE: Afghanistan shifts trade to Iran route to avoid Pakistan closures On the other hand, the fatalities among civilians and security officials reduced this year by over 24% and 5%, respectively, compared to last year. Also, 2025 happened to be the first year since 2015 that, with their losses combined, the civilians and security officials did not account for the majority of fatalities in a given year. Security forces remained the primary targets of terrorist and insurgent groups, resulting in 374 fatalities within the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps. This toll included 22 high-ranking officers: one lieutenant colonel, 16 majors, four captains, and two lieutenants. Additionally, 341 lower-ranking soldiers were killed and over 400 were wounded. The police force suffered 216 casualties, including seven high-ranking officials (one SSP, three DSPs, and four SHOs), alongside 203 personnel killed and 265 injured. Responsibility for these attacks was claimed primarily by the TTP (targeting 227 personnel; 121 fatalities, 106 wounded), followed by the BLA (87 killed, 124 wounded), the BLF (12 killed, 10 wounded), and ISKP (4 killed, 12 wounded).