Islamabad: The Pakistan Institute of Conflict Studies has released a comprehensive report detailing terrorist attacks on educational institutions and places of worship from 2003 to 2025, highlighting the devastating impact of militancy on national security, social cohesion, and the education system.
According to the report, extremist groups have carried out systematic attacks on mosques, imambargahs, and educational institutions across the country over the past two decades. These attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 1,900 people, while hundreds of schools were targeted with bombings and sabotage.
The report notes that the suicide and armed attack on Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan on 10 November 2025 was part of this ongoing pattern of violence. Security forces successfully thwarted the attack, neutralising all assailants.
Attacks on schools began to rise significantly in 2007, reaching as many as 200 incidents in 2009. In Swat alone, more than 200 schools—many of them girls’ institutions—were destroyed.
The study further highlights that after the 2014 Army Public School tragedy in Peshawar, the implementation of the National Action Plan temporarily reduced militant activity. However, the situation worsened again after 2021 due to developments in Afghanistan, with school attacks rising to 21 incidents in 2024.
Read More: TTP Cell Behind Islamabad Judicial Complex Bombing Busted
More than 70% of the attacks since 2003 were suicide bombings, most of them carried out during prayer timings. Major incidents such as the 2004 Hyderi Mosque attack in Karachi, the 2007 Charsadda mosque bombing, the 2015 Shikarpur imambargah attack, and the 2023 mosque blasts in Peshawar Police Lines and Mastung claimed dozens of lives. Forty percent of those killed in attacks on religious sites were children and young people.
The report also reveals that 60% of the attacks on schools targeted girls’ education. Militant groups view schools as “symbols of the state” and religious sites as representing rival sects, making them deliberate targets.
Although the frequency of attacks had declined by 2025, the recent resurgence of militancy shows that extremist networks continue to maintain influence in certain regions. The report acknowledges the success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, and the National Action Plan in weakening militant infrastructure. However, gaps in madrassa reforms, border management, and community engagement allowed some groups to re-emerge.
The Pakistan Institute of Conflict Studies has recommended developing a comprehensive security strategy for schools and religious places, strengthening community-level safety mechanisms, expanding opportunities for youth through education and employment, and enhancing border cooperation with Afghanistan to curb cross-border militancy.
