On January 13, at least four members of a peace committee were killed in a suspected terrorist attack in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Bannu district.
In Pakistan, peace committees are local groups that help security forces maintain peace and combat extremism. Some commentators have noted a larger trend in threats against members of peace committees, and have pointed out that such committees cannot be effective without further actions by the government against extremism.
In an op-ed for Eurasia Review, researcher Ahmad Khan notes that there have been other kidnappings of peace committee members in the province in recent months, as well as a campaign of threats on social media.
Khan remarks, “These acts are not separate instances of violence but a logical and long-term campaign against community-based peace arrangements. Peace committees enable the prevention of radicalization, the settlement of conflicts, and depriving terrorists of the social domain.”
Khan goes on to say that terrorists commit such acts out of fear, knowing that their ideology is “not able to stand the test, both socially and locally.” He adds that terrorists therefore wish to get rid of people who work to establish order.
Pakistan has established many local and national peace committees in the past. These groups work on the front lines dealing with hate speech, extremism, and terrorism. In September 2025, Pakistan’s government established the National Paigham-i-Aman Committee (NPAC). NPAC is a body made up of clerics, religious leaders of non-Muslim communities and senior officials. It was set up under the information ministry to “draft a unified national stance against extremism and terrorism.”
Another major part of NPAC’s work is combating hate speech and extremism disseminated through media and cyber networks.
However, an editorial article by Dawn noted that in the past, other similar initiatives have tended to “slip into oblivion after the initial enthusiasm, mainly because of the state’s disinterest in pursuing the core goals of such initiatives.”
The article continues by saying that the state needs to state needs to take strong actions against those who promote, condone, and carry out violence against minority religions and sects. It also notes that despite Pakistan’s efforts against extremism and the formation of bodies such as the NPAC, there is still an insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with sectarian groups “flexing their muscles from time to time.”
At least seven peace committee members were killed in Bannu district in November 2025.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the January 13 attack, stating “Cowardly acts of militants cannot shake the nation’s firm resolve against terrorism. The nation stands united to defeat the evil designs of these militants,” as quoted in TRT World.
Peacebuilders in Pakistan often face a difficult and threatening environment. Accusations of “blasphemy” are used to incite violence, particularly against religious minorities and people with differing ideas. Studies from recent years have shown that Pakistani authorities, particularly in rural areas, act under pressure from extremist groups or fail to respond altogether.
In the past, Peace News Network has reported on the brave actions of peacebuilders despite the risks in Pakistan. In May 2025, Pakistan’s city of Narowal, located near the Indian border, was the scene of an important peace initiative, the Narowal Peace Dialogue Forum. This grassroots forum took place on the anniversary of the 2018 assassination attempt on Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, who survived being shot during a gathering. Religious scholars, eduactors, media professionals, and policymakers gathered under the banner “Rejecting Hate, Rebuilding Peace.”
Keywords: Pakistan, peace committee, npac, terrorism, conflict, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, peace, conflict resolution, bannu district
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
