Former US Envoy Hussain Haqqani Says Pakistan Paying Price for Past Policies as Global Index Ranks Nation Worst Hit by Terrorism
Pakistan has emerged as the country most impacted by terrorism globally, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2026 released by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The index recorded 1,139 fatalities and 1,045 terrorist attacks across Pakistan in 2025, marking the highest death toll from terrorism in the country since 2013 and placing it at the very top of the global ranking with a score of 8.574.
Weighing in on the development, Pakistan's former United States Ambassador Husain Haqqani asserted that the nation is currently reaping the consequences of its historical state policies toward extremist factions. Sharing a graphic of the index on the social media platform X, Haqqani remarked that nurturing serpents in one's backyard eventually results in those same serpents biting the household. He further elaborated that Pakistan began arming extremist jihadist groups five decades ago, and now finds itself leading the list of nations devastated by terrorist assaults.
While Pakistan has consistently ranked among the ten most terrorism-affected countries in every previous edition of the index, 2025 marks the first time it has claimed the leading position. The report highlights that terrorism-related fatalities in the country increased by approximately six percent compared to the preceding year, continuing a grim upward trajectory for the sixth consecutive year. Although the overall volume of attacks dropped slightly from 1,098 in 2024 to 1,045 in 2025, hostage situations surged dramatically from 101 incidents to 655 during the same timeframe.
Geographically, the violence remains heavily concentrated along Pakistan's western border regions. The findings reveal that Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces accounted for over 74 percent of all terrorist attacks and 67 percent of total terrorism-related deaths recorded in the country throughout 2025.
