Islamabad, Pakistan (HRNW)- The ongoing counter-terrorism efforts and the strategic impact of Operation Ghazab-ul-Haq have begun to manifest across Pakistan. According to a monthly report released by the Islamabad-based think tank, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), war-related fatalities across the country saw a significant 35% reduction during March 2026.
Data indicates that a total of 331 people were killed in March, compared to 506 in February, reflecting a marked improvement in the overall security situation. The report attributes this decline to the cross-border military strikes initiated in the last week of February under Operation Ghazab-ul-Haq. These operations targeted terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan, severely degrading the militants’ capacity to launch lethal, high-profile attacks.
Record Improvement in Civilian Safety
The most notable progress was recorded in civilian protection. Fatalities among civilians dropped from 132 in February to just 39 in March, representing a record 70% decrease. Similarly, security force martyrdoms decreased from 80 to 59, while militant fatalities also saw a reduction from 294 to 228. An interesting trend highlighted by PICSS is the 138% increase in the rate of injured militants, pointing toward the effectiveness of the security forces’ counter-strikes and intelligence-based operations.
The report notes that while banned groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, and Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen had announced an escalation in attacks, their overall operational impact remained limited. PICSS concludes that while the frequency of minor incidents may have seen a slight uptick, the lethal nature and the ability to strike high-profile targets have clearly diminished—a major success for Pakistan’s defensive strategy and the destruction of cross-border safe havens.
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