Pakistan Counterterrorism Strategy and Military Operations Against Terrorism 2020-2025

Terrorism remain one of the major security risk for Pakistan in past few years. Regional dynamics after 2021 severely impacted the country internal security condition this has implications for counterterrorism policies and military operations. The article examines the counterterrorism policy and military activities in the period between 2020 and 2025 the policy dynamics of adapting to the evolving security situation and revival of terrorism post 2021. It is a qualitative study based on secondary sources upon which the research is made academic articles, government report, policy documents, and policy analysis by credible news sources to evaluate the counterterrorism framework of Pakistan. The findings have shown that Pakistan has shifted its previous pattern of running the military operations in large scale to the intelligence based operations and the target counterterrorism operations. Among the major security threats are militant groups such as, Tarik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan (ISIS-K) and Baloch Insurgents. The National Counter Terrorism Authority, the Radd-ul-Fasaad and Azm-e-istehkam operations have played a key role in reducing terrorist activities and improving internal security yet the issue continues along the borders and conflict affected regions. The findings of the research lead to the conclusion that the counterterrorism policy in Pakistan is now more intelligence based and dynamic but the long term peace and stability require more active policy regional cooperation and elimination of the provocators of extremism.