Overview
- The CRS “In Focus” brief, updated Wednesday, identifies Pakistan as both a base and a target for 15 militant groups, 12 of which are listed by the U.S. as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
- Terrorism deaths in Pakistan rose each year after 2019 to about 4,001 in 2025, with most fatalities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, making the country one of the most affected by terrorism.
- The report says India- and Kashmir-focused outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen, Harakat-ul Jihad Islami and Harakat ul-Mujahidin continue to operate from Pakistani territory.
- Global and regional actors remain active, with Islamic State–Khorasan estimated at 4,000 to 6,000 fighters operating across Afghanistan and Pakistan, while Al Qaeda’s core is described as degraded but present.
- CRS concludes that major military offensives and hundreds of thousands of intelligence-based operations have not dismantled these networks, highlighting limits of Pakistan’s 2014 National Action Plan.