Pakistan is grappling with a severe resurgence of terrorism with its homegrown Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) emerging as one of the deadliest terrorist organisations globally, as per the Global Terrorism Index 2025.
According to the report, the four terrorist groups responsible for the most deaths globally in 2024 were Islamic State (IS), Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and al-Shabaab.
Deaths attributed to these groups increased by 11 per cent to 4,204 deaths in 2024, or 80 per cent of deaths that were attributed to a specific group. In 2014, these four groups were responsible for less than 40 per cent of terrorism deaths that were attributed to a group, highlighting the large global shifts in terrorism over the past decade.
Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates remained the world’s deadliest terrorist group in 2024, and is active in 23 countries, one more than in 2023. Deaths attributed to the group and its affiliates declined by ten per cent, from 1,996 to 1,805 deaths.
Of the major terrorist organisations, TTP was responsible for the largest increase in deaths, which rose by 90 per cent to 558 deaths, said the report.
Pakistan in terror crosshairs
The report noted that Pakistan recorded the second-largest increase in terrorism deaths in 2024, with the toll rising by 45 per cent to 1,081.
Terrorism has increased significantly in Pakistan since the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan, with the number of attacks increasing fivefold since 2021.
The most recent surge in terrorism in Pakistan was primarily driven by increased TTP activity, which is aligned with the Afghan Taliban. Deaths attributed to the group nearly doubled between 2023 and 2024.
In 2024, the TTP was responsible for 558 deaths across 482 attacks, marking it as the third deadliest terrorist group globally. This resurgence follows a period of reduced activity between 2017 and 2021. The number of attacks attributed to the TTP reached a record high in 2024, with deaths at their highest level since 2011.
The group’s activity is largely concentrated along Pakistan’s northern border with Afghanistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where 96 percent of the TTP’s attacks occurred.
TTP activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa more than doubled in the past year, escalating from 182 attacks resulting in 265 deaths in 2023 to 462 attacks and 545 deaths in 2024. The deadliest attack in 2024 saw TTP militants killing 16 Pakistani soldiers at an army outpost, claimed as retaliation for the killing of senior TTP commanders.
The TTP’s primary targets align with its anti-state objectives, focusing on police and military personnel, who accounted for 51 percent and 16 percent of attacks, respectively.
Civilians were also frequently targeted, comprising 16 percent of attacks and 19 percent of terrorism-related deaths.
Armed attacks remain the TTP’s most common tactic, accounting for nearly two-thirds of attacks and 72 percent of deaths. Bombings have also increased, nearly tripling compared to the previous year.
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, was formed in 2007.
Sharing a common ideology with the Afghan Taliban, the TTP aims to overthrow the Pakistani government through acts of terrorism against the armed forces and state members. The group operates primarily along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, comprising numerous smaller Islamist armed militant groups.
Following the TTP’s deadliest attack in December 2014, where 141 people, mostly children, were killed in a school, the Pakistani government launched the National Action Plan (NAP) to combat terrorism.
In June 2024, Operation Azm-e-Istehkam was initiated to accelerate the NAP’s implementation, involving airstrikes targeting militants and key insurgent leaders. However, these actions have been met with controversy, including claims of civilian casualties during strikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province.
Despite not holding direct territorial control, the TTP maintains significant influence in regions such as North and South Waziristan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The group leverages the mountainous terrain to facilitate movement and sustain operational mobility across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.