Pakistan calls for more active security debate in parliament — Dawn
Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistani think tank Pildat, in a column for Dawn, called on Pakistan’s parliament to more actively discuss national security issues and rising terrorist activity. He noted that the number of violent terrorist incidents and deaths in the country had reached the highest level in a decade.
Attack statistics
According to data from the South Asian Terrorism Portal cited by the author, 1,077 violent terrorist incidents were recorded in Pakistan in 2025. During that period, 1,229 security personnel and 655 civilians were killed. Mehboob called 2025 the bloodiest year for the country since 2014.
According to data cited in the column, in the first nine months of 2026, through September 21, the average monthly number of attacks was 118, compared with 90 in 2025. The average monthly number of civilian deaths rose from 55 to 74, while among security personnel it increased from 102 to 114. In the author’s view, these figures indicate a sharp increase in attacks.
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Role of committees
Mehboob noted that parliament has Senate and National Assembly committees on defense and internal affairs, while each of the four provincial assemblies has internal affairs committees. At the same time, according to him, available records on the official websites of the legislative bodies do not indicate regular detailed discussions of terrorism, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The author also noted that the National Security Committee, established in 2013 and chaired by the prime minister, has not held meetings this calendar year. It includes representatives of the highest civilian and military leadership. Mehboob believes that the committee should meet more regularly, preferably every month.
He separately expressed hope that the National Counter Terrorism Authority would step up its work under the leadership of the new national coordinator, Major General Faisal Naseer, and inform the public about the implementation of the National Action Plan.
