FEW will disagree that terrorism has witnessed a major resurgence in Pakistan, especially after the Afghan Taliban swept into Kabul in 2021. Just how destructive the latest wave of terrorist violence, mainly driven by the banned TTP, has been is reflected in the latest ranking of the Global Terrorism Index 2026, which has placed Pakistan at the top of the list of countries affected by such violence. Last year, the country ranked second. Most of the index’s findings, published by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace, mirror those of UN as well as Pakistani monitors. While the data contains few surprises, the findings are nevertheless cause for concern, and place a question mark over Pakistan’s counterterrorism strategy. The country has been unable to effectively tackle the menace despite the martyrdom of thousands of security personnel and civilians. The TTP is listed as the third deadliest terrorist group worldwide, just behind the self-styled Islamic State group, which tops the list, and West African terror group Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen. In fact, sub-Saharan Africa has been described in the study as the “global epicentre of terrorism”.

The index notes that this is the sixth consecutive year in which Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorism-related deaths. Exposing Kabul’s false claims that the Taliban do not shelter terrorist groups, it says that the Afghan Taliban have provided the TTP with the “means and motivation to significantly expand their geographic reach and operational efficiency”. Pakistan has been saying the same thing for years now. The question remains: how can this rising trend of terrorist bloodshed be reversed? Pakistan has taken kinetic action across the border in Afghanistan, but a long-term strategy is required whereby the Afghan Taliban are bound by international guarantees not to make their soil available to bloodthirsty groups such as the TTP. Moreover, whether it is TTP violence, or Baloch separatist terrorism, which is also significant, Pakistan must reassess its internal CT strategy in order to permanently address the drivers of terrorism, reduce casualties and ensure long-lasting peace in the affected regions. At a time when the region is on fire, the need to ensure internal security becomes even more acute, and requires the buy-in of all domestic political and security stakeholders.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2026