In 2024, Pakistan experienced one of the most violent years in over a decade as it grappled with fractious politics and rising militancy from Baloch separatists and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The national and provincial elections in February failed to restore order and were marred by widespread allegations of military manipulation to keep former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party out of power.1 While independent candidates aligned with the PTI secured the highest number of parliamentary seats, Khan remained imprisoned. In March, Shehbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz — widely seen as the military’s preferred party — was appointed prime minister and formed the new government. This led to an unprecedented breakdown in civil-military relations, marking the lowest point in the country’s history and sparking a political crisis.
Pakistan’s violent landscape stretches beyond the country’s political instability. According to the ACLED Conflict Index, Pakistan ranks 12th among the world’s most extreme conflicts in 2024, and over a fifth of its population is exposed to violence. Nearly 85% of this violence was concentrated in the border provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the respective strongholds of Baloch separatists and the TTP.
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