WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its militant faction, the Majeed Brigade, as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTO) for their involvement in various terrorist attacks.
In a statement, the US State Department said the move also adds the Majeed Brigade as an alias to the BLA’s previous listing as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, first imposed in 2019.
“BLA was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in 2019 following several terrorist attacks”.
According to the State Department, the BLA has carried out multiple attacks since its 2019 designation, many executed by the Majeed Brigade.
“In 2024, BLA claimed it had committed suicide attacks near the airport in Karachi and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex,” the statement said.
“In 2025, BLA claimed responsibility for the March hijacking of the Jaffar Express train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding hostage over 300 train passengers,” the statement continued.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the designations reaffirm the Trump administration’s commitment to countering terrorism. He added that such measures are an effective way to disrupt support for terrorist activities.
“Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities,” said the State Department.
The State Department said the designations were made under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, and Executive Order 13224, as amended. FTO listings take effect upon publication in the Federal Register.
Baloch Liberation Army is a banned terrorist organisation in Pakistan that has been involved in various terrorist activities, including attacking security personnel and targeting innocent civilians across the country.
Pakistan has long accused India of providing funding, intelligence and technical support to proscribed terrorist organisations, including the BLA and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The announcement comes as Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, is on an official visit to the United States.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Field Marshal Munir has held high-level meetings with senior US political and military leadership and also interacted with members of the Pakistani diaspora.
During his visit to Tampa, the COAS attended the retirement ceremony of outgoing US Central Command (Centcom) Commander, General Michael E. Kurilla, and the change-of-command ceremony marking Admiral Brad Cooper’s assumption of the post.
The visit follows an earlier official trip to the United States in June, during which Field Marshal Munir met President Donald Trump over a luncheon.
During the meeting, which extended to over two hours, both sides also discussed avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation in multiple domains, including trade, economic development, mines and minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, cryptocurrency, and emerging technologies.
Following the army chief’s visit, Pakistan and Washington have since then reached a much-awaited trade agreement as well.
The trade deal was confirmed by Trump himself who took to social media, saying that the two countries will “work together on developing their massive oil reserves” and were currently “in the process of choosing the oil company” which will be leading this partnership.
CM Balochistan hails US decision
Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti, in a statement on X, welcomed the US decision to designate Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its militant faction, the Majeed Brigade, as Foreign Terrorist Organisations.
CM Bugti added that the federal government and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir effectively presented Pakistan’s position to the US administration.
The Chief Minister said the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade have been responsible for shedding the blood of innocent civilians for a long time under the false pretext of ethnic and linguistic rights.
He emphasised that terrorism can never be justified under any circumstances and called on the international community to unite in the fight to eradicate this global scourge.
