Author: Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Terrorism-related incidents in Punjab, Pakistan’s heartland province, recorded relatively lower levels of violence after successive increases over the preceding two years. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Punjab recorded a total of 36 terrorism-linked fatalities [two civilians, two Security Force (SF) personnel and 32 terrorists] in 14 terrorism-related incidents of killing in 2025, as against 59 fatalities (nine civilians, four SF personnel and 46 terrorists) in 27 terrorism-related incidents of killing in 2024, a 38 per cent decrease in overall fatalities. 2023 registered a total of 48 terrorism-related fatalities (seven civilians, four SF personnel and 37 terrorists) in 27 terrorism-related incidents of killing. It is useful to recall that the highest terrorism-related fatalities in the province were reported in 2013, at 1,656 while the lowest were reported in 2022, at 11.
Other parameters of violence also declined accordingly. There were 24 terrorism-linked incidents in 2025 as against 54 in 2024. This is the highest number of such incidents since 2017, when there were 99 incidents. In particular, incidents of killing decreased from 27 in 2024 to 14 in 2025. The number of major incidents (each involving three or more fatalities) decreased from five in 2024 to four in 2025, and the resultant fatalities from 28 to 22. Similarly, the number of explosions decreased from six in 2024 to three in 2025.
Blasphemy cases saw a decline trend in 2025, but mainstream radical Islamist groups created havoc. The far-right Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), notorious for disruptive and violent protests, took the provincial capital city, Lahore, and adjourning areas hostage in October 2025. On October 9, TLP launched a mass protest march from Lahore and Faizabad to Islamabad under the “Labbaik Ya Aqsa Million March” banner, calling for a rally outside the United States (US) Embassy against the “first phase” Gaza ceasefire deal. The protest prompted a robust security response from Pakistani authorities. The Government imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi to ban public gatherings, suspended mobile data services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and deployed shipping containers and heavy police contingents to seal the federal capital’s red zone. Clashes broke out in Lahore on October 10 when police raided TLP’s headquarters on Multan Road to arrest TLP Chief Saad Rizvi. TLP supporters retaliated with stone-pelting and iron bar attacks, while police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. At least three Policemen were injured. Rizvi’s claim of 11 deaths remains independently unverified, and the Police confirmed no fatalities.
On October 24, the Federal Interior Ministry notified a ban on TLP, declaring that the Federal Government had “reasonable grounds” to believe the religio-political party was connected to terrorism. Earlier, on October 17, the Punjab provincial Cabinet approved the imposition of a ban on TLP and forwarded a summary to the Federal Government for further action. On October 28, the Federal Ministry of Interior placed the names of 290 leaders, financiers and hardcore activists of TLP on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) to prevent them from travelling abroad. Those on the list include TLP chief Saad Rizvi, his brother Anas Rizvi, and 21 senior office-bearers wanted in multiple cases registered in Lahore, Sheikhupura and other districts. On November 13, the Punjab Government issued directives to freeze all assets and properties belonging to TLP. Meanwhile, Punjab Police fail to track TLP chief Saad Rizvi and his brother Anas Rizvi, despite the launch of large-scale operation against the party in mid-October 2025, in Muridke, and the two are still absconding. Despite the ban and action, TLP’s ideology and support base persists among the already radicalised segments of Pakistani society, feeding Government fears of resurgence.
On February 20, 2026, to further contain terrorism-related activities in the province, the Punjab Home Department issued a list of 89 proscribed organisations and unregistered charitable institutions, warning citizens that giving charity to these entities would be treated as a crime under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. According to a statement issued by the Punjab Home Department spokesperson, anyone assisting the banned organisations involved in terrorism or anti-state activities “will face legal action” as it was a crime under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. The list primarily includes militant, sectarian, and separatist groups, many of which are also banned at the Federal level by the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA). The most prominent global terrorist groups in the list are Al Qaeda, Daesh (Islamic State), and TTP. Sectarian outfits include Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan (SMP), and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The list included Baloch separatist groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), Balochistan Republican Army (BRA), Lashkar-i-Balochistan (LiB), Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF), Balochistan Musallah Defah Tanzeem (BMDT) and Balochistan Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS); Sindhi separatist groups such as Sindhu Desh Revolutionary Army, Sindhudesh Liberation Army (SLA) and Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM). India-oriented groups, generally active in the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) region, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and their charitable fronts like Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) are also listed. Pashtun rights group Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) is also among the inclusions.
Meanwhile, on February 20, 2026, the Punjab Police’s Crime Control Department (CCD) issued a comparative assessment of crime for the post-May period of 2024 and 2025, asserting substantial gains following CCD’s operationalisation in May 2025. The data indicates sharp declines across several categories, particularly in Lahore. Murder cases dropped from 361 to 220 (39 per cent), and attempted murder from 812 to 504 (38 per cent). Dacoity fell from 35 to 15 (57 per cent), and house dacoity from 33 to six (82 per cent). Robbery recorded the most dramatic reduction, declining from 8,213 to 1,823 (78 per cent). Theft within boundary walls fell by nine per cent and burglary by 44 per cent, while motorcycle and car snatching declined by 69 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively.
Province-wide figures reflected comparable trends. Murders decreased from 3,952 to 3,022 (24 per cent), attempted murders by 18 per cent, dacoity by 60 per cent, and robbery by 53 per cent. Theft within boundary walls declined by 17 per cent and burglary by 27 per cent. CCD also pointed to operational costs, reporting that 19 police personnel were killed and 167 injured in the line of duty during this period.
These claims have, however, been accompanied by serious allegations regarding the methods employed. On February 17, 2026, a fact-finding report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) accused CCD of adopting a systematic policy of staged encounters and extrajudicial killings. The Department rejected these allegations, asserting that it operates strictly within the Constitution, the Police Order 2002, and applicable criminal procedure laws. It maintains that arrest remains the primary objective, and that any use of force is governed by the principles of legality, necessity and proportionality, with lethal force deployed only as a last resort in the face of armed resistance and imminent threats. CCD further contended that the prevalence of heavily armed criminal groups necessitated defensive force to protect both personnel and civilians.
The HRCP report, however, presents a starkly different picture. It documents 670 encounters resulting in 924 deaths in just eight months, between April and December 2025, while only two security personnel were killed during the same period. This extreme imbalance – averaging more than two fatal encounters each day – combined with the uniformity of operational patterns across districts, was seen as indicative of an institutionalised practice rather than isolated excesses. By comparison, HRCP’s annual report for 2024 recorded 341 suspects killed in encounters across Punjab and Sindh combined over an entire year, suggesting that CCD operations in a single province more than doubled this toll within a shorter timeframe.
The geographical distribution of these encounters further underscores their scale. Lahore accounted for 139 incidents, followed by Faisalabad with 55 and Sheikhupura with 47. In terms of offence categories, those accused of dacoity constituted the largest group of fatalities (366), followed by robbery (138), narcotics offences (114), and murder (99).
HRCP concluded that these patterns constitute violations of both domestic law and Pakistan’s international human rights obligations. Under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022, every custodial death must be investigated by the Federal Investigation Agency under the supervision of the National Commission for Human Rights. The fact-finding mission found no evidence of consistent compliance with this requirement; in at least one case, it was the court, rather than the authorities, that directed an investigation. Mandatory magisterial inquiries under Sections 174–176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure also appeared to have been bypassed. HRCP has consequently called for a high-level judicial inquiry.
CCD was established on February 26, 2025, under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s “Safe Punjab” initiative, as a specialised unit of the Punjab Police operating alongside the regular police and the Counter Terrorism Department. It is mandated to tackle organised and heinous crimes, including land grabbing, extortion, kidnapping for ransom and dacoity, and is empowered to establish police stations, register FIRs and conduct independent investigations. Headed by an Additional Inspector General and headquartered in Lahore, it operates with an annual budget of PKR 5.56 billion (2025) and a strength of over 4,250 personnel.
The Department was created against a backdrop of escalating organised crime in 2024. Police data indicated that 273 gangs were active across Punjab, with 1,451 suspects identified. Of these, only 491 had been arrested, leaving 960, many considered highly dangerous, at large. Subsequent reporting suggested that CCD adopted an aggressive operational posture. According to figures cited by Daily Times on August 9, 2025, 815 suspects were killed or injured in encounters within four months of the Department’s establishment – 480 killed and 335 injured. As compared to the four months preceding, serious crime was reported to have declined by 40 per cent, from 16,500 cases prior to CCD’s launch to 10,100 by July 2025. Robbery and dacoity fell from 5,071 to 2,600, murder from 384 to 289, car theft from 7,900 to 5,378, and theft from 3,100 to 2,000.
Official claims regarding overall crime reduction have, however, been contested. Addressing a gathering in Gujranwala on December 6, 2025, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif asserted that crime had declined by 70 to 80 per cent in 2025 compared to 2024, crediting the CCD. A Geo News fact-check, comparing data for January–December 2024 with January–December 2025, found that overall reported crime declined by only two per cent. While some categories saw sharper reductions—gang rape down by 44 per cent and dacoity with murder by 42 per cent – others showed more modest declines: rape by 8.28 per cent, murder by 18.56 per cent, blind murder by 24.34 per cent, kidnapping for ransom by 22.54 per cent, vehicle theft by 29 per cent, and kidnapping of women for forced conversion and marriage by 9.41 per cent.
The available evidence thus presents a complex picture. While CCD data indicates substantial reductions in selected categories, aggregate trends are far less dramatic, and the methods attributed to the Department raise serious concerns. Critics argue that an excessive reliance on encounter-based policing risks undermining due process and reflects a failure to invest in investigative capacity, resources and intelligence systems essential for sustainable crime control.
Though terrorism and crime indicators in Punjab presently reflect a phase of relative containment, the structural drivers of violence remain intact, creating significant potential for re-emergence.
The Author is Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management