The United States on Monday formally designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its militant faction, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
In a statement signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the U.S State Department added the Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA’s previous listing as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group.
It noted the BLA was first designated as a SDGT in 2019 and has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks, including suicide bombings carried out by the Majeed Brigade. “In 2024, BLA claimed it had committed suicide attacks near the airport in Karachi and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex,” it said. In 2025, the BLA claimed responsibility for the Jaffer Express hijacking, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding more than 300 passengers hostage.
Rubio said the designations reaffirm 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,” he added.
Designating BLA and its Majeed Brigade as terrorist organizations has been a longstanding demand of Pakistan, which alleges the groups serve as proxy for India.
In a statement, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti welcomed the designation, crediting the federal government and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for conveying Pakistan’s stance against terrorism to the Trump administration. “BLA and Majeed Brigade shed the blood of the innocent in the name of rights and ethnicity,” he said, stressing the world must unite to eliminate the scourge of terrorism.