Pakistan experienced its deadliest year in over a decade in 2025 as combat-related deaths surged 74 percent, with militants accounting for more than half the death toll, according to a new report released by an independent think tank. Islamabad often accuses Kabul of turning a blind eye to cross-border attacks by Pakistani militants, a claim Afghanistan’s Taliban government denies. Tensions between the two neighbors have been high since October following border clashes that killed dozens and wounded hundreds.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, or PICSS, said violence in Pakistan left 3,413 people dead — up from 1,950 in 2024 — with 2,138 militants killed.The 124 percent rise in militant death toll from 2024 reflects intensive counterterrorism operations against the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, which is not part of Afghanistan’s Taliban, the