Quetta, Jan 16 (AHN) A policeman was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Dera Murad Jamali area of Pakistan's Balochistan, local media reported on Friday.

According to police, head constable Ali Gohar was heading to the police station when gunmen shot at him near a school on Thursday, killing him on the spot, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported. Police took his body to a hospital and later handed it over to Gohar's family after completing medico-legal procedures.

The latest incident occurred amid a rise in attacks targeting law enforcement personnel in Pakistan, especially in the border regions of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On January 4, four police personnel were killed in two separate firing incidents in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, local media reported, citing the police.

Three police personnel were killed after unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle opened fire on traffic police personnel in Lakki Marwat's Sarai Naurang city, according to a police spokesperson, Pakistan-based Geo News reported. Following the incident, the attackers fled from the spot.

The deceased was identified as Traffic Police In-charge Naurang Jalal Khan, Constable Azizullah, and Constable Abdullah. Police initiated a search operation in the area and started a probe.

Meanwhile, a policeman was killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire in the Mandan area of Bannu. Police said Constable Rashid Khan was targeted while he was heading to Mandan Police Station for duty from his home.

A report said the security situation in Pakistan deteriorated sharply in 2025, marking the fifth consecutive year of rising conflict and violence in the country. A total of 699 attacks were recorded in Pakistan in 2025, a 34 per cent increase from 2024, according to the Pakistan Security Report 2025 by PIPS, local media reported.

As many as 1,034 people were killed and 1,366 others injured in these attacks, demonstrating a 21 per cent rise in fatalities. The conflict-related violence, including attacks, counterterrorism operations, border clashes, and abductions, increased to 1,124 incidents -- a rise of 43 per cent from 2024. These incidents can no longer be seen as setbacks but highlight a crisis that is intensifying and becoming harder to control, Dawn reported.

Security personnel make up a large share of those killed in the attacks, with police stations, patrols and checkpoints being regularly targeted, the report highlighted. Attacks mostly occurred in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Attacks on law enforcement personnel have become common in the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Insurgents have increased their strategies in Balochistan beyond hit-and-run attacks to include highway blockades, abductions, and infrastructure damage. Much of the violence is driven by religiously motivated groups, especially the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the security report detailed.