Target killing is one of the most divisive methods of terrorism that has been practiced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Unlike other types of attacks that aim for achieving massive casualties, target killings are selective, symbolic, and deliberate. They are aimed at specific individuals whose death affects the influence of the state and fills the targeted individuals and their institutions with fear. For example, from 2014 through 2025, there was a trend in target killings in KP that symbolized only the changing tactics of terrorists.

Statistical examination of the target killing cases between 2014 and 2025 reveals that there are three distinct phases. In 2014, there were 16 reported cases, and then a massive increase was witnessed in 2015 and 2016 with 65 and 86 cases, respectively.

This corresponds to the retaliation from the militants and the disruption of terrorist infrastructure. Due to the impact of intelligence-based operations and policing initiatives, the number of cases decreased and stayed steady between 2017 and 2020, ranging from 31 to 46 cases annually. However, since 2021, the situation has worsened. There were 50 cases in 2021, which increased to 106 in 2022, 73 in 2023, 90 in 2024, and 117 till 2025. It represents the most critical phase of target killings in the KP region in the current last ten years.

One of the most alarming factors pertaining to this trend is how much........

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