US designates BLA and its alias Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organisations after Asim Munir's visit

Pakistan's Frontier Corps stand guard at the siege site after armed militants ambushed a train in the remote mountainous area, at Pehro Kunri in Balochistan province on March 15, 2025. At least 31 people were killed during a two-day train siege in southwestern Pakistan carried out by militants, the country's army spokesman said on March 14. (Photo by AFP)

The United States on Monday officially designated the Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, The Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO). Notably, the announcement comes after Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir's recent visit to the US.

The BLA had already been classified as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group by the US Treasury in 2019 after multiple high-profile terrorist attacks. The US State Department’s latest announcement adds The Majeed Brigade as an alias to the BLA’s existing designation, underscoring the group’s continued threat.

"Today, the Department of State is designating The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, The Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), and adding the Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA's previous Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation," the department said in a statement, according to news agency ANI.

This move "demonstrates the Trump administration’s commitment to countering terrorism," the State Department said in its statement, emphasizing that "terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities."

The BLA, a separatist militant group operating primarily in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, has been responsible for numerous deadly attacks targeting security forces and critical infrastructure. In 2024 alone, the group claimed responsibility for suicide attacks near Karachi airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex, which are considered key strategic locations that Pakistan has sought to develop under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

In March 2025, the group was behind the audacious hijacking of the Jaffar Express train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, resulting in the deaths of 31 civilians and security personnel, with over 300 passengers taken hostage. The attack highlighted the group’s operational reach and the ongoing security vacuum in Pakistan’s western provinces.

The US designation comes amid growing international concern over Pakistan’s inability or unwillingness to clamp down on militant groups operating within its borders. The BLA, along with other terrorist organisations, has long exploited Pakistan’s porous security environment, fueling instability not only in Balochistan but across the region.

The BLA’s violent campaign against the Pakistani state continues to destabilise the country’s fragile southwestern frontier, exacerbating ethnic tensions and human suffering in a region already beset by underdevelopment and governance challenges.