The United States has designated the separatist militant group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a foreign terrorist organisation, the State Department said on Monday.It described the move as part of the Trump administration’s commitment to combating terrorism.
The BLA, which seeks independence for Pakistan’s Balochistan province, has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in the country. In March, the group said it was behind the hijacking of a passenger train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, an assault that left dozens of passengers and Pakistani soldiers dead.
In 2019, Washington also listed another anti-Pakistan Baloch militant faction, the Majeed Brigade, as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” entity.
Under the new designation, providing any form of support to the BLA within the United States is now a criminal offence. The previous designation targeted only the group’s financial assets.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated and most underdeveloped province, has seen at least five separatist uprisings since the country’s founding in 1947. Supporters of the movement accuse Islamabad of exploiting the region’s resources while neglecting its roughly 15 million residents.
