US Designates Balochistan Liberation Army a Foreign Terrorist Organisation
The United States has officially designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, The Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO). The BLA was previously listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in 2019. The State Department said the new designation reflects the group's continued responsibility for terrorist activities, including recent attacks in Karachi and Gwadar, and the hijacking of a passenger train. The designation freezes the group's assets and bans material support to it.
Unpacked:
FTO status triggers U.S. criminal penalties for providing “material support,” mandates immigration restrictions, and compels U.S. financial institutions to block funds; SDGT mainly freezes U.S.-linked assets and prohibits U.S. persons from transactions. Together, they heighten prosecution risk, disrupt fundraising and travel, and expand law-enforcement tools. The Majeed Brigade’s inclusion signals special focus on BLA’s suicide-attack wing’s operational threat.
The BLA is a Baloch ethnonationalist militant group active since the early 2000s, targeting Pakistani state and economic interests; tactics include bombings, IEDs, assassinations, and attacks on energy infrastructure and Chinese-linked projects. The Majeed Brigade is a BLA suicide unit tied to high-profile attacks in Karachi and Gwadar.
Balochistan is resource-rich yet economically lagging, with grievances over political autonomy, revenue sharing, disappearances, and heavy-handed security responses. Historical cycles of repression and revolt since the 1970s, plus fears of secession post-1971, entrenched conflict dynamics. Chinese-backed projects in Gwadar have become contested symbols, drawing militant attacks.
It could aid Pakistan’s counterterrorism cooperation and financing controls, constraining BLA networks. Short term, BLA may seek retaliatory publicity attacks; longer term, pressure could disrupt external facilitation. Risks to Chinese personnel and CPEC sites—especially in Gwadar—remain priorities for militants, requiring heightened security and political engagement in Balochistan.