The US State Department on Monday announced that it has added the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, to its list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs), according to an official press release.
The Majeed Brigade — the BLA’s dedicated suicide squad — was banned by Pakistan last year, while the BLA itself was proscribed in 2006 under the National Counter-Terrorism Authority’s list of banned outfits. Pakistan had earlier urged Washington to designate the Majeed Brigade as an international terrorist group. In 2019, the US had declared the BLA a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) organisation, making it a criminal offence for anyone in the US to assist the group, but had not extended the designation to the Majeed Brigade until now.
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Under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the Secretary of State can designate organisations as FTOs — a move intended to block support for terrorist activity and pressure groups to abandon violence. SDGT designations, on the other hand, are made under Executive Order 13224 and target both individuals and entities involved in terrorism, even if they are not part of a formally recognised organisation.
The latest decision formally adds the BLA to the FTO list and lists the Majeed Brigade as an alias under the BLA’s SDGT designation. The State Department noted that the BLA, designated as an SDGT in 2019 after a series of attacks, has since claimed responsibility for further acts of terrorism — including attacks carried out by the Majeed Brigade.
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In 2024, the BLA claimed suicide bombings near Karachi airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex. Earlier this year, the group also claimed the hijacking of the Jaffar Express train from Quetta to Peshawar, which killed 31 civilians and security personnel and held over 300 passengers hostage.
The State Department said the move reflected US President Donald Trump’s commitment to combating terrorism, calling FTO designations “a critical tool” in disrupting support networks for such groups.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti welcomed the decision on X, praising the federal government and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir for effectively presenting Pakistan’s case to Washington. He condemned the BLA and Majeed Brigade for “shedding innocent blood under the false cover of ethnicity and rights” and stressed that “no cause justifies killing civilians.”
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry hailed the designation as a diplomatic victory for Pakistan, describing the groups as “proxies” of India and predicting that their alleged sponsors would eventually face similar action. He said the decision showed the world supported Pakistan’s counter-terrorism stance, adding that “such uplifting news and successes will quickly bring this fight to its logical end.”
The security situation in Balochistan has deteriorated in recent months, with militants — particularly the BLA — escalating both the frequency and lethality of their attacks, increasingly targeting Pakistani security forces. In April, military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry accused India of activating its “assets” to intensify violence in Pakistan, presenting what he called “irrefutable evidence” of state-sponsored terrorism directed from across the border.
Last month, Pakistan’s Foreign Office reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance on terrorism, stressing that the country has “effectively and comprehensively dismantled” terrorist networks and supports international cooperation in combating extremism.
The BLA’s designation comes amid improving relations between Islamabad and Washington. COAS Asim Munir concluded his second visit to the US in less than two months on Sunday, calling it a “new dimension” in bilateral ties. During the trip, he met senior American political and military leaders, as well as members of the Pakistani diaspora.
US Central Command (Centcom) chief Gen Michael Kurilla recently praised Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner in counter-terrorism,” highlighting its role in capturing several high-value ISIS-K operatives through joint intelligence efforts. He also noted that there have been around 1,000 terrorist incidents in western Pakistan since the beginning of 2024, describing the country as being in an “active counter-terrorism fight right now.”