Pakistan-based Balochistan separatist group gets listed as terrorist organization by US

The United States has officially designated the Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its suicide unit, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation this week. The move underscores the ongoing threat posed by the separatist group, which seeks independence for the Baloch people and has carried out numerous attacks across Pakistan.

The BLA was first labelled a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity in 2019 after a string of deadly assaults. Since then, the group—often through its Majeed Brigade—has continued to claim responsibility for major attacks, the US State Department said in its August 11 statement.

The department noted that the action “demonstrates the Donald Trump administration’s commitment to countering terrorism,” adding that “terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities.” Founded in the early 2000s, the BLA is also listed as a terrorist organisation by Pakistan and several Western nations.

This designation came as Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, visited Washington this week and shortly after a US-Pakistan trade deal covering oil development in Balochistan.

What is the Balochistan Liberation Army?

Operating primarily out of Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, the BLA is an armed separatist movement that has for decades sought an independent Balochistan. According to Pakistan's Mint publication, its emergence was fuelled by long-standing grievances over political exclusion, economic exploitation, and military repression by the Pakistani state, according to Mint.

The BLA has targeted Pakistani security forces, government infrastructure, and development projects, particularly those linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which it views as exploitative.

In 2024, the group claimed responsibility for suicide bombings at Karachi airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex. In March 2025, it said it hijacked the Jaffar Express train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and taking more than 300 passengers hostage. The BBC describes the BLA as the most prominent militant group challenging Pakistan’s authority.

The Majeed Brigade serves as the BLA’s dedicated suicide attack unit, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal. It has carried out high-profile assaults, including the 2018 attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi and the Gwadar hotel siege in Balochistan.

Complex dynamics surrounding Balochistan

Balochistan is a geographically and politically sensitive region divided among Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. The largest share lies within Pakistan, where it forms the country’s biggest province by area.

Within Pakistan, Balochistan borders Iran to the west, Afghanistan to the northwest, and Sindh province to the southeast. It also boasts a long coastline along the Arabian Sea to the south, making it strategically significant.

Quetta, the provincial capital, sits in Pakistan’s southwest. With a population of more than 1.5 million in 2024, it is the country’s tenth-largest city and a focal point for both governance and ongoing unrest in the province.

By Nazrin Sadigova