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US Designates BLA and its Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organization

A Strong Message Against Terrorism

On August 11, 2025, the United States made a strong action in its global fight against terrorism, when it declared the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as well as its suicide attack organization, the Majeed Brigade, Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). This historic step which was declared by the US State Department and sanctioned by the Treasury Department through an Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) does not only freeze all assets within US jurisdiction of these groups but also criminalizes material support to them.

To Pakistan this designation is much more than just a diplomatic victory, it is a formal recognition by one of the most powerful countries in the world that its neighbor harbors a serious and deadly threat in the form of the BLA and its violent affiliates.

This organization has a lengthy history of executing deadly assaults aimed at spillage of civilians, important infrastructure, and other foreign nationals engaged in the economic engineering enterprise in Pakistan especially the mega development project China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

When it comes to the nature of the threat, things are not the same.

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BLA which mostly operates in Balochistan has been behind the targeting of passenger trains, a packed bazaar, and major infrastructure installations, resultantly, scores of innocent people have been killed and injured. Some of the most outlandish and violent attacks on the foreigners especially the Chinese engineers and workers have been carried out by its Majeed Brigade known as suicide missioners. Such attacks are not the statements of political opposition, and they are systematic actions of armed hostilities that are directed to destabilization and ruination of the projects of development and connection in Pakistan.

The US listing will be a major setback on the capacity of these terror gangs since they will be extremely weakened.

After removing the access to the international banking system, heightened financial vetting of the affiliated charities and nonprofits, and the risk of being prosecuted criminally, the designation takes away most of the lifelines previously used by the BLA to operate.

The fundraising sources that previously had relied on overseas empathies will find more pressure in legal and regulatory requirements and the group will find it more challenging to perpetuate their activities.

International Consensus Building

Already Islamabad has indicated that it intends to make use of this momentum. It will then move to promote parallel designations in other countries ranging between the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union countries. Blacklisting the Majeed Brigade under the BLA will assist in the ability of the group to escape the sanction by rebranding or fragmenting into supposedly distinct entities.

On the multilateral front, Pakistan will refer to the United Nations Counter Terrorism Committee and pertinent Security Council entities to gain worldwide listing of the BLA and its allied groups. International law would apply asset freeze, travel restrictions, and arm embargo to such a list and the actors would have little space to move freely.

But will the international community act quickly enough to shut down every remaining channel that fuels these terrorist networks?

Pakistan remains a staunch member of the counterterrorism policy, but it also recognizes that Balochistan needs to be developed constantly. Islamabad has once again stressed that it is committed to solving grievances in terms of dialogue, investment and good governance. The state, however, draws a clear line between peace, political advocacy and terrorism. Terror and murder are the main targets of these groups, the BLA, Majeed Brigade and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) who deliberately kill civilians, security personnel and foreign workers, something that cannot be justified in any way.
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The government has stated that it will track these terrorists wherever they go to take refuge and do this with the provision of the law in full cooperation with regional and other international agencies. The external support system, networks of the BLA will be destroyed through financial investigations, and intelligence sharing will be intensified to interfere with planning their logistical and tactical operations.

The menace of the BLA does not run only within the periphery of Pakistan. Targeting foreign nationals and major investment projects weakens regional stability and destabilizes international trade and connectivity and discourages foreign investment. Here, the US designation is more than a show of support to Pakistan. It is a communication that the world will not tolerate terrorist acts in the name of any supposed purpose.

This action is interpreted as a recalibration in the US Pakistan collaboration in countering terrorism by some analysts as being under the Trump administration. Washington seems more responsive towards critical security issues of Islamabad or more specifically the threats to CPEC and stability in the region. This interest can act as a steppingstone to bilateral cooperation at a deeper level to counter transnational terror networks in and around the South Asian region.

A Vital Step Toward Stability and Growth

Balochistan is vital to the national security of Pakistan. It is also crucial in the security of CPEC, which is a critical part of the Pakistani economic development strategy and of the Belt and Road Initiative of China. Insurgent violence does not only slow down the pace of the infrastructure projects it also harms the reputation of Pakistan as a model and secure source of foreign investment.

The US move, however, is more than a retribution against a violent insurgency, it is a critical step on the path to establishing a landscape of peace, stability, and economic growth in the region. The task at hand is to maintain this front foot through coordinated actions, both local and at the global front. Pakistan, in its turn, has been vocal on its intentions to ride the process out all the way in closing all avenues that have kept the territory of terror alive, punishing those in charge of the terror and creating a climate where not terror, but development and dialogue become the tools to envision the future of Balochistan.

The BLA has now come into the notice of the world in a destructive role. The second step is to translate this awareness into a broad, concerted effort to deny the group the resources, shelter and legitimacy it desires. It begins with the US designation. It is aimed at achieving a stable, secure and prosperous Pakistan in which the people of Balochistan and in fact all the people of Pakistan can live without the fear of terrorism.


  • Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are exclusively those of the author and do not reflect the official stance, policies, or perspectives of the Platform.

Author

  • Dr. Zaheerul Khan

    With a strong academic and professional background, he specializes in international relations and is widely recognized as an expert on security and strategic affairs.

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