In the fog of the ongoing USA–Israel–Iran war, an important report highlighting the scale and ramifications of terrorism in Pakistan has largely gone unnoticed.

The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) is an independent, non-profit think tank headquartered in Sydney, Australia, that measures peace as a tangible, data-driven component of human development. Founded in 2007 by Steve Killelea, it produces globally recognised indices—like the “Global Peace Index (GPI)” and “Global Terrorism Index (GTI)”—to calculate the economic value of peace and analyse factors that sustain it.

A rating from the IEP, primarily through the GPI and GTI, is crucial for a country because it acts as a comprehensive, data-driven benchmark of its stability, safety, and economic viability on the global stage. Covering 163 nations and 99.7% of the world's population, this rating directly influences foreign investment, economic policy, and international reputation.

The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2026 was officially released on 21 March 2026. For the first time, Pakistan was ranked as the most “terrorism-impacted” country globally. Sub-Saharan Africa was identified as the epicentre of terrorism, accounting for 48% of all global terrorism deaths.

It notes that in 2025, Pakistan recorded 1,139 deaths and 1,045 incidents, the highest levels seen since 2013. This is part of a consistent, six-fold increase in terror activity since 2020. It signifies a worrying trend and a serious challenge to the country because, overall, global terrorism deaths and incidents have fallen to their lowest levels since 2007.

In another report by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Pakistan recorded around 1,700 terrorist incidents in 2025, with fatalities close to 4,000, making it the most violent year since 2013.

It is necessary to understand that international investors generally view any country with a high position on the GTI as a high-risk market,........

© The Friday Times