You reap what you sow, and this old adage appears to fit Pakistan's current grim reality with chilling precision. A nation that historically fostered extremist militant groups and deployed them as proxies against neighbours now finds itself grappling with the worst brunt of domestic terrorism. The Global Terrorism Index 2026 places Pakistan at the very top as the country most affected by terrorism worldwide. Reacting sharply to this alarming milestone, former Pakistani ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani took to social media to call out the catastrophic outcome of the state's decades-long security choices.
The Bitter Harvest of Nurturing Extremism
Former diplomat Husain Haqqani wrote on X that keeping snakes in one's backyard inevitably results in them biting the household members eventually. He pointed out that Pakistan began arming extremist jihadist networks roughly half a century ago, and that very nation now sits atop the global table of terrorism victims. Haqqani's pointed commentary highlights how foundational state policies from decades past have systematically hollowed out Pakistan's internal stability, leaving ordinary citizens and security personnel exposed to relentless violence.
Surging Violence Amid Global Improvements
Data compiled in the Institute for Economics and Peace's Global Terrorism Index 2026 report reveals that Pakistan recorded 1,045 terror incidents in 2025, which claimed the lives of 1,139 people. Fatalities linked to terrorism in the country rose by roughly 6 percent, marking the sixth consecutive year that Pakistan has seen an upward trajectory in terror-related deaths. This domestic deterioration stands in sharp contrast to worldwide trends. Globally, the impact of terrorism receded significantly in 2025, with total fatalities dropping by 28 percent to 5,582 and total incidents falling nearly 22 percent to 2,944. While the rest of the world saw security conditions improve, Pakistan moved entirely in the opposite direction.
TTP Emerges as the Primary Catalyst
The report identifies the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, commonly known as the TTP, as the single largest driver of terrorism-related deaths within Pakistan. Data shows that the TTP was directly linked to 56 percent of all terrorism fatalities recorded in the country during 2025. The group carried out 595 separate attacks that resulted in 637 deaths. The militant network that the Pakistani state once cultivated under its strategic depth doctrine, and which its security apparatus is currently struggling to crush, has metastasized into the country's most acute existential threat.
Epicentres of Violence in Western Provinces
The heaviest burden of terrorism in Pakistan remains concentrated along its western frontier. According to the Global Terrorism Index, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for over 74 percent of all terrorist attacks in Pakistan during 2025, while also recording 67 percent of all terrorism-related fatalities. The report highlights surging violence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as a major underlying driver. Cross-border militant activity has escalated notably following the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, severely straining the operational capacity of Pakistani security forces.
BLA Train Hijacking Exposes Vulnerabilities
The report also details the escalating insurgency waged by the Balochistan Liberation Army, or BLA. In 2025, the group targeted a railway track near Quetta and successfully hijacked a passenger train, holding 442 people hostage. According to the findings, the high-stakes standoff and subsequent security response resulted in the deaths of 21 hostages, four military personnel, and 33 insurgents, underscoring the severe reach and operational audacity of separatist factions operating in the region.
