Balochistan burns: Deaths spike 241% as Pakistan logs deadliest month

Pakistan witnessed its deadliest month of the year in July with 606 people killed and 232 others injured in various terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism operations across the country, an Islamabad-based think tank said on Saturday.

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) attributed the sharp rise in casualties to an escalation in terrorist attacks and a corresponding intensification of counter-terrorism operations by security forces across the country.

The report said 112 security personnel were killed in July, representing the highest monthly toll since January 2023 and the second-highest recorded in more than a decade.

In January 2023, 114 security personnel were killed, including around 102 in a suicide bombing at Peshawar Police Lines.

It said 401 terrorists were killed in July, the highest number recorded in a single month in more than a decade.

The month also witnessed the deaths of 74 civilians and 19 members of peace committees. The death toll among peace committee members was also the highest recorded in a single month during the past decade.

According to PICSS, the 232 people injured in July included 101 security personnel, 103 civilians, 14 peace committee members and 14 terrorists.

The data showed that, compared to June, security personnel deaths increased by 195 per cent, rising from 38 to 112. Terrorist deaths increased by 109 per cent, from 192 to 401, while civilian deaths rose by 21 per cent, from 61 to 74.

The institute recorded at least eight suicide attacks during July, including five vehicle-borne suicide attacks. The think tank said this was the highest number of suicide attacks recorded in a single month during the past decade.

Kidnapping incidents also doubled during the month, rising by 100 per cent from 33 in June to 66 in July.

It stated that the security situation deteriorated most significantly in Balochistan, where the overall death toll increased by 241 per cent, from 109 in June to 372 in July.

Security personnel deaths in Balochistan increased from six in June to 62 in July, representing a rise of 933 per cent. Terrorist deaths rose from 75 to 238, while civilian deaths increased by 93 per cent, from 28 to 54. Eighteen members of peace committees were also killed in the province.

Overall, the data showed that the first seven months of 2026 witnessed 2,786 deaths linked to terrorist violence and counter-terrorism operations across the country.

Those killed included 1,857 terrorists, 463 civilians, 434 security forces personnel and 32 members of peace committees.

The average deaths per month among security forces increased from 56 in 2025 to 62 in 2026, the average deaths of civilians increased from 48 to 66, and the average deaths among the terrorists increased from 178 to 265.