ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan experienced a second consecutive month of improving security indicators in April 2026, with militant attacks and resulting casualties falling sharply, according to a new report from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
The think tank recorded 85 verified militant attacks in April, compared to 146 in March, a drop of 42%, while the number of deaths from such attacks fell from 106 to 60, continuing a downward trajectory that began the previous month.
The report attributes the improvement to Pakistan’s cross-border military campaign against militant groups and Taliban positions between February 26 and March 18, which subsequently resulted in a suspension of hostilities and talks in Urumqi, China.
The operation, dubbed Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, was launched following unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border.
Despite the decline in attacks, the total number of combat-related deaths, including those from militant violence and security operations, stood at 291 in April.
Activists are responsible for 224 of these deaths, or 77% of the total.
Other victims included 28 security personnel, 37 civilians and two members of pro-government peace committees.
Casualties among security forces fell significantly, from 59 in March to 28 in April, a decrease of 53 percent, while civilian casualties remained relatively stable, falling slightly from 39 to 37.
The report also highlights a notable reduction in injuries. The total number of injuries fell from 210 in March to 131 in April, a decrease of 38%.
Civilian injuries fell from 98 to 54, while militant injuries fell from 57 to 31.
The number of injured security personnel decreased slightly from 48 to 46, and no injuries were reported among members of the pro-government peace committee.
According to PICSS, most of the 85 attacks recorded in April were low-intensity incidents, although a few high-impact events stood out.
These included two suicide attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district and a major assault on a mining facility in Balochistan’s Chagai district.
Regionally, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained the worst-affected province, followed by Balochistan. In mainland KP, attacks decreased slightly from 51 in March to 45 in April, while the death toll remained unchanged at 34.
The most significant improvement was recorded in the tribal districts of KP, where attacks fell by 40%, from 35 to 21, and deaths fell sharply by 82%, to just six.
At the same time, security forces intensified their operations in these areas, killing 120 militants in April – up from 24 in March – representing more than half of all militants killed in the country during the month.
