On August 11, the US State Department designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).
The US action has multiple spinoffs. By sanctioning BLA, the US strengthens its ties with Pakistan and browbeats recalcitrant India. It also enables Pakistan to rid Balochistan of the BLA which could disrupt the mining of rear earths by US companies.
Earlier in 2019, the BLA had already been designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) following several terrorist attacks. In the US, a group can be designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the Immigration and Nationality Act as well as under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224. Under the latter, a wider range of entities, including terrorist groups, individuals acting as part of a terrorist organization, and other entities such as financiers and front companies, can be designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT).
Despite its designation in 2019 as an SDGT, the BLA claimed responsibility for several attacks, the State Department said in a statement.
In 2024, BLA claimed responsibility for suicide attacks near Karachi airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex. In March 2025, the BLA said it was behind the hijacking of the Jaffar Express train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar which resulted in the deaths of 31 civilians and security personnel. 300 passengers being taken hostage.
The sanctions, the State Department said, “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.”
Munir’s US Visits
Significantly, the sanctioning of the BLA followed the visit of the Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir to the US, first in June, as a guest of President Donald Trump who hosted a luncheon for him in the White House, and then again in August when he was a guest at the CENTCOM HQ at Tampa, Florida.
After the luncheon, Trump said that he discussed Iran with Munir and added that no one knew Iran better than Munir.
Pakistan hailed Trump for bringing about a ceasefire in the May war against India and declared its intention to recommend him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Earlier, the then chief of CENTOM Gen. Michael Eric Kurilla had praised Pakistan for its “phenomenal” partnership in the fight against terrorism. A grateful Pakistan awarded Gen Kurilla its top military honour, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military).
India, which has been America’s “strategic partner”, got no marks for refusing to endorse Trump’s claim that it was he who brought about a ceasefire in the May war. India claimed that the ceasefire stemmed from its success in achieving its limited military aims and was brought about at the initiative of Pakistan.
Reacting, Trump slapped a 50% tariff on India and only 19% on Pakistan when he raised tariffs on most countries to rehabilitate the US economy.
US Interest in Rare Earths
There is a new-found interest in the US in Pakistan’s economy. Pakistan claims that in Balochistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkwa province, rare earths worth US $ 6 trillion and had invited foreign companies, including Western and US companies, to invest in mining and processing. The US had sent a high official to attend an international conference on the subject hosted by the Pakistan government.
But both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkwa have serious insurgencies, with the BLA and the Pakistan Taliban getting bolder by the day. The Pakistan army has been conducting military operations in both places but with little success.
Given the human rights violations in Balochistan, the Pakistan army has earned international opprobrium and not approval.
In this context, the US sanction against the BLA would certainly boost the morale of the Pakistan army in Balochistan and strengthen its resolve to end the insurgency by force.
Enter India
Though, on the face of it, the US designation of the BLA has no implications for India, New Delhi is affected in as much as Pakistan has been pointing its fingers at India “for aiding and abetting” the BLA.
In Pakistan’s view, the Baloch rebellion has less to do with the long-standing local grievances than with Indian encouragement and sponsorship.
According to a write-up in the Pakistani paper The Express Tribune, India hijacked the militant movement and made it serve its interest in
breaking up Pakistan. The article claimed that Pakistan has shared dossiers containing evidence of Indian support to the BLA with the Indian government, the UN and major world capitals.
The article referred to the arrest of an alleged Indian intelligence operative Com. Kulbhushan Jadhav, in Balochistan in 2016.
“Jadhav confessed to collaborating with terrorist groups, as tasked by RAW (Research Analysis Wing) to incite Baloch youth against the Pakistani state. This is an unprecedented case of state sponsorship of terrorism, where a serving intelligence officer of India was on a clandestine mission inside Pakistan,” the writer alleged.
Israeli Involvement
“Lately, Israel has also jumped into the fray,” the article added.
Israel’s interest in destabilising Pakistani Balochistan stems from a desire to pressurise Pakistan to abandon the Palestinian cause and also forgo its nuclear capability.
“On 18 June 2025, Meir Masri, former Israeli Deputy Minister of Defence and a lecturer at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, tweeted- “After Iran’s campaign, we may seek to dismantle Pakistan’s nuclear program”.
The Express Tribune further said that on 12 June 2025, a Washington based Israeli think tank, Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), launched the Balochistan Studies Project. MEMRI appointed one Mir Yar Baloch as President of the project.
On 12 May Mir Yar Baloch declared the independence of Balochistan via social media and called on the UN to recognise it. Indian media identified him as a prominent Baloch dissident.
Since the beginning of 2025, Baloch activists in Europe have become very active; holding seminars, debates and rallies and interacting with various think tanks and other organisations – something which is not
possible without significant support from interested parties, the paper said.
Kulbhushan Jadhav Case
Jadhav was arrested by Pakistani authorities on March 3, 2016, in Balochistan, and accused him of espionage and terrorism. Pakistan claimed that he was a serving Indian Navy officer working for India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
India denied these allegations, asserting that Jadhav, a former naval officer, was kidnapped from Iran, where he was running a business, and that his trial was unfair.
In April 2017, a Pakistani military court sentenced Jadhav to death. But the International Court of Justice (ICJ) intervened in May 2017, staying the execution. In July 2019, it ruled that Pakistan must review Jadhav’s trial and conviction and provide India with consular access, that had been denied earlier.
Pakistan allowed one consular visit in September 2019, but subsequent visits had been denied.
In April 2025, Pakistan’s Supreme Court was informed that Jadhav was granted the right to appeal his sentence under a 2021 law passed to comply with the ICJ ruling. But India maintained that this law did not adequately address the ICJ’s requirements for a fair review.
Additionally, a mercy plea from Jadhav is reportedly under consideration by Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Jadhav has been in custody for over nine years, and his case remains a point of contention between India and Pakistan. The designation of the BLA as a terrorist group by the US only strengthens Pakistan’s case against Jadhav and exacerbates tension with India.