The United States has upped pressure on the Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), labelling it a “foreign terrorist” organisation.
The designation, announced by the Department of State on Monday, comes after the BLA, which is also known as the Majeed Brigade, was designated a “specially designated global terrorist” (SDGT) organisation in 2019.
The new designation is more severe and comes as US President Donald Trump has sought increased contacts with Pakistan’s government.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move “demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to countering terrorism”.
“Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities,” the statement said.
The BLA was designated as an SDGT following a series of attacks in 2019. More recently, in March this year, the secessionist group claimed responsibility for the siege of a train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, in which dozens of passengers and soldiers were killed.
The new designation makes it a crime for anyone in the US to provide support to the group, while the previous designation only targeted financial resources.
Balochistan is the largest but least populous and poorest province in Pakistan. The region has experienced at least five secessionist uprisings since Pakistan’s formation in 1947.
The latest iteration began in the early 2000s, and has since broadened its focus from securing the province’s natural resources to full-fledged independence.
Supporters of the secessionist movement have alleged that Pakistan’s government has exploited the region’s resources, while neglecting its population of 15 million. The province remains key to trade, housing the deep-sea ports at Gwadar, a key component in plans to link southwestern China to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan.
Recent BLA attacks have further inflamed tensions between Pakistan and India, with Islamabad accusing New Delhi of fuelling the violence. India has denied the claims.
Last month, the administration of US President Donald Trump also labelled The Resistance Front (TRF), which Rubio described as an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a “foreign terrorist” group following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April that killed 26 people.
Trump later said he was behind a ceasefire that ended a brief military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May, a claim rejected by India. Relations between New Delhi and Washington have further soured over Trump’s tariff campaign against India.
Meanwhile, in June, Trump hosted Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir, considered one of the most powerful men in the country, for lunch at the White House.
The Trump administration has also sought new investments with Pakistan, with particular emphasis on the South Asian country’s natural resources and fledgling cryptocurrency industry.
