A screenshot taken from a video shows BLA fighters in a mountainous region in Pakistan’s Balochistan.
New Delhi: The United States has elevated the Balochistan Liberation Army, which operates in Pakistan, to its Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list. Washington also formally recognized its suicide wing, the Majeed Brigade, as a terrorist entity, the US state department announced in a statement on Monday.
The designation marks a significant escalation in Washington’s approach toward the Pakistan-based separatist group, which has intensified operations over the past year. The Majeed Brigade has now been added as an alias to the BLA’s previous “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” (SDGT) designation from 2019.
In recent months, the BLA has claimed responsibility for several high-profile attacks in Pakistan, including suicide bombings near Karachi airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex in 2024, and the March 2025 hijacking of the Jaffar Express train from Quetta to Peshawar, which killed 31 civilians and security personnel while taking more than 300 passengers hostage.
Pakistan first proscribed the BLA in 2006 and added the Majeed Brigade to its banned organizations list last year. Islamabad had repeatedly requested international recognition of the group’s terrorist activities, with officials viewing the US decision as validation of their long-standing concerns.
The FTO designation carries more stringent legal implications than the previous SDGT classification. Under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, it becomes a federal crime for any US person to knowingly provide material support to the organization, and US financial institutions must freeze any assets belonging to the group.
The designation takes effect immediately upon publication in the US federal register.
The BLA, which seeks independence for Pakistan’s resource-rich Balochistan province, has been active since the early 2000s. The insurgency gained momentum following the 2006 killing of prominent Baloch leader Akbar Bugti during a military operation. The group operates primarily from safe havens across southern Balochistan and has been designated a terrorist organisation by Pakistan, the United Kingdom, China, Iran, and the European Union.
The move comes amid heightened US focus on regional terrorism threats. In July 2024, Washington designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a terrorist organization following the group’s April 22 attack in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 civilians. TRF operates as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks. At that time, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, had said the action “demonstrated the Trump administration’s commitment to countering terrorism.”
The Pahalgam attack resulted in India launching Operation Sindoor against terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which then escalated to a full-blown military skirmish between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, has experienced recurring insurgencies for over six decades. Separatist groups claim the region was forcibly incorporated into Pakistan at independence in 1947 and argue that the federal government has systematically exploited its natural resources while neglecting local development.
The province holds significant strategic importance due to its mineral wealth and the Chinese-funded Gwadar port, a key component of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. The BLA has repeatedly targeted Chinese interests and infrastructure projects, viewing them as symbols of external exploitation.
Pakistan’s military has conducted several operations against Baloch insurgents, but violence has persisted. The latest US designation may complicate any potential dialogue between Islamabad and separatist groups, as international terrorist classifications typically preclude formal negotiations.
