Counterterrorism paradox

Pakistan's counterterrorism operations are intensifying, but Dawn reports the violence isn't slowing down — July logged the year's highest number of attacks, with the security situation worsening in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. A suicide bombing outside a Kabal police station in Swat last week killed seventeen people during a community peace rally, while Balochistan saw coordinated attacks across five districts. Per Dawn, security forces conducted twenty-six operations in July that killed two hundred five militants, yet only five arrests were made, raising questions about whether lethal force alone can dismantle militant networks rather than just deplete their ranks.

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