Escalate the situation: why Pakistan is facing new terrorist attacks

At least two explosions occurred at the headquarters of the federal police in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on November 24. As a result, three people were killed and 12 injured. The number of terrorist attacks has increased dramatically in the country recently, and experts believe this negative trend will continue in the near future. The main danger, according to them, comes from terrorist groups that are based in the border areas of Afghanistan, and from there they are preparing their attacks. Their activities have already caused a serious armed conflict between Islamabad and Kabul in October. In addition, separatist movements are active in Pakistan itself. Many players, including Russia, are concerned about the situation in the region.

Increase in the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan

On November 24, at least two explosions occurred at the headquarters of the federal police in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. As a result, three police officers were killed, and 12 more people were injured.

"Initially, three militants tried to attack the headquarters. One suicide bomber detonated a bomb at the gate, while two others tried to enter the territory, but were shot dead by police," the police said.

The Jamatul Ahrar group, which is considered a faction of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) organization, claimed responsibility for the attack. On November 10, members of the same group tried to storm the cadet college in Van (South Waziristan), but were eliminated by security forces. On November 11, 12 people were killed and 36 injured in a terrorist attack near the courthouse in Islamabad. According to local media, Jamatul Ahrar also claimed responsibility for this attack.

According to the UN and Pakistani security agencies, the TTP uses the territory of Afghanistan to prepare and organize its attacks.

— It will not be possible to defeat the extremists in Pakistan in the near future. The province of Peshawar is the most troubled. And there are Pashtun nationalists and separatists operating there, and the Pakistani army cannot come to an agreement with them. There is also Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, an organization based in Afghanistan. Pakistan is currently at war with it," orientalist Vladimir Sotnikov explained to Izvestia.

In mid-October, the regular armies of Pakistan and Afghanistan were drawn into the conflict on the border territories. Islamabad attacked the facilities of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the territory of a neighboring state, explaining this by fighting terrorism. Kabul accused Pakistan of violating sovereignty and responded with its own strikes, Lyudmila Pechishcheva, a senior researcher at the ISSA RAS, recalled in an interview with Izvestia.

As part of the conflict settlement, negotiations between the Afghan and Pakistani delegations took place in Istanbul in November, but they were unsuccessful. Representatives of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan refused to provide firm guarantees for the suppression of cross-border attacks, which became the main obstacle to extending the ceasefire. Thus, the armed confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, provoked by the actions of the TPP, can resume at any moment.

The group declares its goals to overthrow the Pakistani authorities and establish Sharia law on the territory of the country, similar to those in Afghanistan. Among the motives of the actions of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan is also revenge for Islamabad's military operations in the Pashtun areas where the group's bases are located, Lyudmila Pechishcheva noted.

The Pakistani army lacks the ability to finally put an end to terrorism, Vladimir Sotnikov believes.

Terrorists from the TTP and other groups are using the rugged mountainous terrain as a cover for infiltration into Pakistan, Rashid Wali Janjua, director of research at the Islamabad Institute for Political Studies (IPRI), told Izvestia.

— The Afghan Taliban government cannot curb terrorist groups like the TTP operating from their territory. Countries such as India, which financially encourage terrorists in Afghanistan to attack Pakistan, are also to blame for this," he said.

However, New Delhi categorically denies any connection with terrorist groups, and in turn accuses Islamabad of assisting radical forces that are destabilizing the situation in India. In April 2025, India and Pakistan became embroiled in an armed conflict after the terrorist attack in Kashmir, which was carried out by the terrorist group Resistance Front. India blamed Pakistan and launched Operation Sindoor in Pakistan.

Pakistan, in turn, has repeatedly accused India of supporting extremist groups in Balochistan. This is the largest and least developed province of Pakistan, which is rich in minerals. Among the most high—profile and tragic events of 2025 is the seizure of the Jafar Express passenger train in March, organized by militants from the Balochistan Liberation Army, which is trying to achieve independence of the region divided between Iran and Pakistan. Then the terrorists blew up the tracks and took about 450 people hostage, which led to numerous casualties and provoked a sharp reaction from the UN Security Council.

According to media reports, from January to November 2025, more than 600 attacks by extremist groups were recorded in Pakistan, which is 58% higher than in 2024. The total number of victims exceeded 2.4 thousand people, including military, police and civilians. This is the highest level of violence since 2014.

How the SCO can help Pakistan

Many countries, including Russia, are concerned about the situation in the region.

"In particular, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is becoming an important tool in maintaining the balance of power in the region, since it was originally created as an organization aimed at countering terrorism and extremism,— Lyudmila Pechishcheva noted.

The Organization as a whole has significant potential to support Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. Islamabad, in particular, confirmed the assumption of the chairmanship of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in September 2025. "This is recognition of Islamabad's contribution to regional security, especially in the fight against terrorism," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said later.

In the Tianjin Declaration of September 1, 2025, the SCO leaders condemned the attacks in Pakistan on the Jafar Express train and a school bus in Khuzdar in August, as well as the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India, in April, which claimed 26 lives.

But at the same time, tensions between India and Pakistan, including mutual accusations of sponsorship of terrorism, are hindering the work of the RATS itself. At the SCO Defense ministers' meeting in 2025, India refused to sign a joint statement due to disagreement on the wording on terrorism.

Experts believe that the collective efforts undertaken within the SCO to combat the financing of extremism, intelligence sharing, and joint exercises can significantly increase the effectiveness of Pakistani counterterrorism measures.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the SCO implies cooperation at the government level, but the organization cannot interfere in the internal affairs of the members of this structure, Vladimir Sotnikov noted.

Wali Janjua is confident that the international community as a whole, and, above all, countries such as Iran, Central Asian states, Russia and China, should increase pressure on the Afghan Taliban to take more active measures in the fight against terrorism.