Key Points
- US labels Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias ‘Majeed Brigade’ as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, escalating 2019 SDGT sanctions.
- State Department cites 2024 suicide attacks near Karachi Airport and Gwadar Port Authority Complex, and March 11, 2025 Jaffar Express hijacking that killed 31 and held 300+ hostages.
- Designation criminalizes material support, freezes assets, and tightens international cooperation against the group’s funding and logistics.
- Move seen as aligning with Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir’s push; expected to deepen Washington–Islamabad security ties.
- Gwadar and CPEC security implications are significant, as BLA is viewed as a major threat to Chinese interests in Pakistan.
New Delhi: The US State Department has designated the Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), expanding on the BLA’s 2019 listing as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity and adding legal penalties for any support under US law. The action was announced on August 11, 2025, with officials highlighting a pattern of lethal attacks, including suicide bombings in 2024 near Karachi Airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex, and the March 11, 2025 hijacking of the Jaffar Express from Quetta to Peshawar that killed 31 and held more than 300 passengers hostage.
Why now
Washington pointed to the group’s continued escalation, including suicide operations attributed to the Majeed Brigade wing, which has claimed multiple high-profile attacks since the 2019 sanctions, prompting a shift from financial sanctions to a full FTO designation that criminalizes material support and enables broader law-enforcement action. Analysts also link the timing to renewed US-Pakistan security alignment following Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir’s engagement with Washington, with media noting the political and strategic backdrop to the decision.
Key incidents cited by the US
- 2024: Suicide attacks near Karachi Airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex attributed to BLA/Majeed Brigade.
- March 11–12, 2025: Jaffar Express hijacking; at least 31 killed and 300+ hostages, triggering a major Pakistani security operation; Wikipedia and multiple outlets document the timeline and casualties.
What the designation does
- Criminalizes support: Providing material, financial, or technical support to the BLA or its aliases becomes a federal crime under US law.
- Asset freezes and sanctions: Enables asset blocks and exclusion from the US financial system, and supports joint actions with partners.
- Expanded alias coverage: Majeed Brigade added as an alias to ensure the network’s suicide-operations arm is captured under sanctions.
Regional and geopolitical implications
- Pakistan: Islamabad gains leverage and international support against insurgency networks, with the move framed domestically as a win following sustained advocacy.
- China and CPEC: The decision has direct implications for security of Chinese projects in Balochistan, including Gwadar, where BLA has targeted personnel and infrastructure.
- Counterterror posture: US officials underscored that terror listings are a critical tool to curtail resources and disrupt operational support globally.
US statements
US statements accompanying the designation emphasize that terror listings “play a critical role” in restricting support and demonstrate continued commitment to counterterrorism, language echoed across official press materials and briefings.
Possible effects on the ground
- Funding squeeze: International funding channels and procurement networks face heightened disruption, complicating BLA’s external support and logistics.
- Legal exposure: Individuals and entities facilitating support risk prosecution, detentions, and sanctions in the US and cooperating jurisdictions.
- Escalation risks: Experts caution that pressure could prompt short-term tactical escalation by insurgent cells, while complicating any parallel political track in Balochistan.
Background: BLA and the Majeed Brigade
The BLA is a separatist insurgent group active in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, with the Majeed Brigade functioning as its suicide-operations wing; Pakistan, the US, and the UK have variously proscribed the organization over the past decade.
Timeline signals
- 2019: BLA listed by the US as Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
- 2024: Suicide attacks near Karachi and Gwadar attributed to BLA/Majeed Brigade.
- March 11, 2025: Jaffar Express hijacking with 31 killed, 300+ hostages.
- August 11, 2025: US designates BLA and Majeed Brigade as FTOs.
