ISLAMABAD: Despite increased military tensions between Pakistan and India in May, militant groups were unable to significantly escalate their attacks within Pakistan, according to a recent report by the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
The think tank’s monthly assessment recorded a modest increase in militant incidents but highlighted the overall failure of militants to intensify violence amid the ongoing regional crisis.
Rising Casualties and Security Operations
The report noted 85 militant attacks in May, up slightly from 81 in April, causing 113 fatalities including 52 security personnel, 46 civilians, 11 militants, and four peace committee members.
Injuries totaled 182 with civilians making up the majority of the wounded. Security forces conducted intensive operations, killing 59 militants and arresting 52 suspects.
Despite the five percent rise in attacks, the increase in civilian injuries was particularly sharp, soaring by 145 percent compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, security personnel deaths surged by 73 percent, although injuries among troops decreased by 20 percent.
Provincial Security Dynamics
Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained the most affected regions, with 82 out of 85 attacks reported there. Balochistan witnessed 35 attacks that killed 51 people, including a tragic bombing of an Army Public School bus in Khuzdar which claimed the lives of eight children and two staff. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal districts saw 22 militant attacks causing 45 deaths, while the rest of KP experienced 25 attacks with 14 fatalities. Sindh recorded three attacks resulting in three deaths, whereas Punjab, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan reported no militant incidents but saw increased intelligence-based arrests, especially in Punjab.
The data suggest militants remain active but have not succeeded in escalating violence amid heightened security efforts and regional tensions.
