Terrorist attacks fall 37% in October, but kidnappings climb to a 12-month high
A Frontier Corps contingent on the march, shown in a file photograph (2016 parade photo, not an October incident).
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s terrorism figures improved markedly in October — but the same report carries a warning sign that is hard to ignore. The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, said in its report released on Sunday that 143 terrorist attacks were recorded across the country in October 2026, down from 226 in September: a 37 per cent fall in a single month.
The human cost fell even faster. Attacks claimed 111 lives in October, against 260 in September — a 57 per cent drop — while the number of people injured fell from 242 to 69, down 71 per cent. PICSS said the improvement reversed two consecutive months of rising violence.
Balochistan leads the improvement
Balochistan recorded the sharpest turnaround, with attacks falling from 132 in September to 71 in October, a 46 per cent decline. Mainland Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also improved substantially: excluding the former federally administered tribal areas, attacks there fell from 58 to 40, down 31 per cent. Suicide attacks dropped sharply too — just one was recorded in October, compared with three in September.
Kidnappings surge to a 12-month high
The other side of the ledger is troubling. Militant-related kidnappings rose to 88 people in October, up 22 per cent from 72 in September and the highest monthly figure in twelve months. Nearly four in five of those abductions took place in Balochistan, where kidnapping remains a serious security challenge even as bombings and shootings eased.
The wider toll
Counting terrorist attacks together with security forces’ counterterrorism operations, October saw 272 deaths in all: 53 security personnel, 45 civilians, five peace committee members and 169 terrorists, with 71 people injured.
The year as a whole still tells a grim story. Between January and October 2026, Pakistan recorded 1,376 terrorist attacks, and attacks plus counterterrorism operations together claimed 3,902 lives — including 645 security personnel, 65 peace committee members, 595 civilians and 2,597 terrorists. October’s respite matters, but the annual figures show the challenge is far from over.
