This Focus Paper presents an overview of the terrorist threat in Pakistan, both in its ethno-nationalist and jihadist forms. The former is represented by separatist groups in Balochistan, which have perpetrated a high-profile train hijacking in March 2025. The latter includes a plethora of armed groups that employ terrorist methods in an attempt to impose sharia law in Pakistan or parts of it. The Focus Paper illustrates the historical roots and socio-economic causes of both forms of terrorism and examines the factors which have caused a resurgence of terrorist activity in recent years, namely after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s return to power. Lastly, it presents the risks arising from terrorism-driven instability in Pakistan at the domestic and international level, including extremist spillover, radicalisation among the diaspora, and nuclear proliferation.
Download the Focus Paper 55Research line: Indo-Pacific
Source image: U.S. DoD (Photo by MSgt Michael Battles)
Focus Paper 55
The Terrorist Threat in Pakistan:
Local and International Implications