Pakistan sees deadliest year in a decade, with combat deaths surging 74% in 2025, report says

Bystanders and security personnel gather at the site of a hand grenade attack in Sibi on January 1. - Dawn/ANN

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan experienced its deadliest year in over a decade in 2025 as combat-related deaths surged 74 per cent, with militants accounting for more than half the death toll, according to a new report released by an independent think tank.

Islamabad often accuses Kabul of turning a blind eye to cross-border attacks by Pakistani militants, a claim Afghanistan’s Taliban government denies. Tensions between the two neighbours have been high since October following border clashes that killed dozens and wounded hundreds.