Terrorist attacks in Pakistan fell 37% in October, but kidnappings hit a 12-month high
PICSS counted 143 attacks in October, down from 226, and deaths fell 57%. But 88 people were kidnapped, the most in a year. The province-by-province numbers.
Militant attacks in Pakistan fell sharply in October, with 143 attacks compared with 226 in September, a drop of 37%, according to the monthly report of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), released on Sunday, 1 November. Deaths from those attacks fell even more, by 57%, from 260 to 111.
The worrying number is kidnapping. Militants abducted 88 people across the country in October, up 22% from 72 in September and the highest monthly figure in the past 12 months.
October 2026 in numbers
- Attacks: 143, down from 226.
- Killed in attacks: 111, down from 260.
- Injured in attacks: 69, down from 242, a 71% fall.
- Suicide attacks: one, which caused no deaths or injuries. In September, three suicide attacks killed 45 people and injured 138.
Counting both militant attacks and security operations, 272 people were killed in October: 53 security personnel, 5 members of peace committees, 45 civilians and 169 militants.
Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The biggest change was in Balochistan, where attacks almost halved, from 132 to 71. Deaths from attacks in the province fell from 136 to 44. Security operations there killed 79 militants, the report says.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, not counting the former tribal districts, attacks fell 31%, from 58 to 40, and deaths from 90 to 38. Operations in the province killed 42 militants, with two security personnel martyred.
Punjab recorded two attacks that killed four people, after none in September. Sindh had no attacks.
Why kidnappings matter
PICSS called the rise in kidnappings a serious concern, especially in Balochistan, where most of the abductions happened. Kidnapping for ransom or to pressure the state is a way for armed groups to stay visible and raise money when big attacks become harder, and it hits ordinary people directly: drivers, labourers, government employees and travellers on highways. Two shopkeepers were abducted in South Waziristan in the last days of the month.
What is behind the drop
The fall comes after weeks of intensified military operations and heavy exchanges with Afghan Taliban forces along the border. Pakistan says militants operating from Afghanistan are behind most attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, a charge Kabul denies, and the military has said operations will continue until militants are eliminated.
One month is not a trend. September was an unusually violent month, with 260 deaths and three suicide bombings, so part of October’s fall is a return from a very high level. The November report, due at the start of December, will show whether the lower numbers hold through the winter.
