In 2025, Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to countering terrorism when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had perhaps a significant phone call. Against the backdrop of an uptick in terrorist attacks in Pakistan, and higher regional tensions, Pakistan’s commitment to countering terrorism, on this occasion, will continue to engage with the United States, and cooperate with many other international partners. The continued array of attacks has produced a more complex security environment that demands determination and coordinated response.
In this analysis I consider the current counterterrorism environment for Pakistan, the nature and scope of the U.S.-Pakistan cooperation, regional security considerations, and the potential to reverse the tide against terrorism through simultaneous bilateral cooperation.
Rising Terrorism Threats in Pakistan
Increasing Terrorist Attacks
Pakistan has a persistent and evolving terrorism threat, particularly in the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and bordering tribal areas. According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index and reporters from local intelligence sources;
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa experienced almost 300 terror attacks in 2025, and continued the upward trend of doing so in the respective years from 651 attacks in 2023 and 732 attacks in 2024.
The Pakistan Terrorism Index significantly worsened from 7.92 points in 2023 to 8.37 points in 2024, which further analysis suggests will possibly worsen into 2025 as well.
Militant groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) of the Islamic State are continuing to be problematic and conduct deadly attacks on civilians and security forces as well.
Regional Tensions Heightening Security Concerns
The regional security dynamic is still in a state of flux. Following a spate of attacks on Indian tourists in May 2025, Indian missile strikes conducted into Pakistani Kashmir on terrorists in a given vicinity further aggravated relations between India and Pakistan. The heightened regional uncertainty also exacerbates Pakistan’s internal security dilemma and consequently increases the danger of cross-border terrorism and retaliation in retribution, putting regional stability at risk.
Pakistan-US Counterterrorism Cooperation: A Robust Partnership
High-Level Dialogues and Joint Efforts
On June 19, 2025, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Pakistan’s commitment against terrorism and the need to strengthen mutual cooperation, which is in follow up to prior commitments, including the Pakistan-U.S. Counterterrorism Dialogue that took place in May 2024 in Washington, DC. These commitments outlined how to counter TTP, IS-K, and others, through capacity building, intelligence sharing and technical assistance, provided by the United States.
Since March 2023, the United States has trained more than 300 police and first responders from Pakistan, and has established police training on border security and counterterrorism. The United States’ operations were designed to help Pakistan become more adept in identifying, stopping, and responding to terrorist attacks.
Successful Operations and Intelligence Sharing
Joint counter-terrorism efforts have resulted in tangible impact. Pakistan’s apprehension of the operational commander of IS-K, Mohammad Sharifullah, who masterminded the bombing at Kabul airport in 2021, was a prime example of effective cooperation. U.S. Central Command (Centcom) Commander General Michael Kurilla remarked that Pakistan has been a “phenomenal partner” in counter-terrorism, especially noting the capture and, in some cases, elimination of several high-value IS-K operatives within the borders of Pakistan.
Multilateral Engagements
Further, Pakistan works collaboratively with the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Japan on counterterrorism dialogues, sharing best practices on preventing violent extremism, the financing of terrorism, and border security. The forthcoming Counterterrorism Dialogue in June 2025 in Islamabad will continue to build on these collaborations.
Challenges in Pakistan’s Counterterrorism Landscape
Resilience of Militant Groups
Despite higher levels of activity from the security apparatus, militant groups like the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) continue to orchestrate attacks against ultimate targets, largely taking advantage of Pakistan’s porous borders while defeating Pakistan’s strategically tilted security apparatus. The use of emerging technologies, including drones and encrypted communication channels, means traditional detection and response measures can also develop at a much faster rate than the successful terrorist countermeasures are able to.
Political and Institutional Constraints
Political instability and governance weaknesses in Pakistan can often erode the effectiveness of enduring counter terrorism activity. Regional instability, particularly involving Pakistan’s tensions with India, disperses resources and directs efforts away from long-term commitments, making diplomacy—which is the critical tool enabling operational partnerships and coordinated security activity—more difficult.
Economic and Social Dimensions
The impacts of terrorism aren’t simply confined to security consequences for Pakistan, terrorism also negatively influences economic growth and development, quality of life, foreign investment, and social cohesion. To avert further food and safety crises stemming from instability in Pakistan, Pakistan needs to engage with the underlying causes of terrorism such as poverty, radicalization, or the absence of education while reducing the potential source pool of recruitment for extremists, followed by efforts towards actual stability.
Regional and Global Context
U.S. Strategic Rebalancing in South Asia
The U.S. has recalibrated its burgeoning South Asia policy, relative to its growing strategic relationship with India, but still maintaining its counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan, which is highlighted by various proposals, to condition Pakistan’s Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status upon, if not counterterrorism performance, then perhaps economic reforms, which reflect U.S. acknowledgment of the need for those reforms as well as U.S. strategic and institutional engagement.
International Support and Scrutiny
The European Union and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will keep an eye on Pakistan’s clumsy attempts to combat money laundering and terrorism financing. Global organizations are underscoring to Pakistan that it must be cautious, still retaining institutional accountability, in order to address the need for financial transparency and meet the standards of global institutional scrutiny to maintain international support for and engagement with Pakistan.
Prospects for Turning the Tide
Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation
If Pakistan is to enhance its ability to directly fight terrorism, the country will need to continue to work at all levels and be consistent in its capacity-building efforts. By using intelligence sharing, conducting joint operations, or providing technical support, we can interrupt terrorist groups more effectively than disrupting their planned attacks.
Addressing Root Causes
Integrating counterterrorism with development programs targeting education, economic opportunity, and social inclusion can reduce the appeal of extremist ideologies. Community engagement and counter-radicalization programs remain essential components of a holistic strategy to combat terrorism.
Regional Peace and Stability
By de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan and creating conditions for regional dialogue, conditions can be reached for counter-terrorism collaboration. The reality of transnational threats justifies multilateral frameworks that can involve Afghanistan, China, and Central Asian states, and afford the possibility of a comprehensive deal rather than ad hoc arrangements, which can then lead to developments around the regional security architecture.
The enhanced cooperation resources from the US and a renewed determination to address terrorism by Pakistan offer a possible opportunity to ease the continuing threat from militant groups. There are always challenges, and they are enormous in scale, yet through a combination of effective bilateral relationships and multilateral processes and through the collaborative development of socio-economic initiatives, the critical situation involving terrorism can be turned around in Pakistan and beyond. There is good hope presented by the 2025 dialogues and operational outcomes that progress is possible toward a safer and more stable South Asia region through continued political will and international assistance.
