Pakistan records sharp drop in militant violence in March

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan saw a marked reduction in militant violence in March, with terrorist incidents falling 59 percent from February following Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, according to a fact-based report by the Center for Research and Security Studies that was published by Arab News.

The country’s strategy under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq had disrupted militant activity and blunted what it described as the designs of terrorist groups. The decline was not limited to a single area, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recording a 57 percent drop in terrorism compared to the previous quarter, while other cities also showed a visible decrease.

The first quarter of the year also showed an overall improvement when compared with the same period last year. Both the number of militant attacks and the resulting fatalities declined in the opening three months of the year.

Overall, terrorist incidents across Pakistan decreased by 18 percent during the first quarter. It further noted that higher militant casualties during operations by security forces suggested those actions had become more coordinated, more effective and more lethal.

Regional pattern of attacks

Attacks targeting unarmed civilians were carried out in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the federal capital by Fitna al-Khwarij and Fitna al-Hindustan.

It also cited the view of international experts, who said that under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, militant hubs in Afghanistan had sustained heavy damage. According to those assessments, that development contributed to an improved security environment inside Pakistan.

The findings outlined in the report point to a broader decline in violence over recent months, particularly in areas that have long faced persistent militant activity. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has remained one of the most affected provinces in terms of terrorism-related incidents, was highlighted as showing one of the clearest improvements during the period under review.

The report linked the reduction in attacks to Pakistan’s operational approach, saying the impact of security actions was reflected both in the lower number of incidents and in the increased losses suffered by militants during security operations.

While the report identified progress at the national level, it also underscored that attacks on civilians continued in several regions, including Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad. The data nevertheless indicated a significant month-on-month decline in March and a broader quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year easing in militant violence.