US designates Baloch group as terror organisation: Significance of step

The BLA is among the most prominent flagbearers of Balochistan’s decades-long separatist movement. Pakistan has often accused India of fomenting the separatism, a charge New Delhi has denied.

What is the significance of the FTO tag for the Baloch Liberation Army, and what is the India angle in this? We explain.

What does a Foreign Terrorist Organisation designation mean?

“Today’s action taken by the Department of State 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 issued by Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, said.

In effect, an FTO designation for an organisation — under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act — makes extending support to it criminal in the US. This support can include everything from logistical to intelligence to financial aid. Assets the organisation owns in the US can be frozen, there can be travel restrictions, and the group and its supporters can be barred from accessing the American financial system.

Also, a tag announcing that the US sees a particular organisation as ‘terrorist’ helps isolate the organisation internationally.

What are the Baloch Liberation Army and the Majeed Brigade?

Balochistan borders Afghanistan and Iran. With gas, oil, copper and gold deposits, it is the most resource-rich of Pakistan’s four provinces, but lags behind in development and economic growth. It makes up half of Pakistan’s area, but has only 3.6% of its population.

The struggle for Baloch independence dates back to 1947. In fact, sections in Balochistan observed the ’78th Independence Day’ on August 12.

After the British left the subcontinent, the Khan of Kalat (who claimed sovereignty over the four princely states of Kalat, Lasbela, Kharan and Makran) declared independence. The Pakistan Army forced his accession in March 1948, but ethnic nationalism and the perceived injustice meted out to Balochistan by the Punjab-dominated Pakistani state have fuelled separatist emotions.

By the late 1970s, tribal chieftains or sardaars of Balochistan had largely been co-opted by the Pakistani state. However, in the 2000s, insurgency gained momentum again, after then President Parvez Musharraf allowed China to build a deep water port in the fishing village of Gwadar, and the Pakistan army killed Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, who had been chief minister and governor of the province.

The BLA announced itself in 2005 with a rocket attack on a paramilitary camp in Balochistan Kohlu during a visit by Musharraf. Khair Baksh Marri, a tribal leader, is considered the founder of the BLA. After he died of old age in 2014, the leadership of BLA is believed to have passed to his son Hyrbyair Marri, who lives in London.

“In 2024, BLA claimed it had committed suicide attacks near the airport in Karachi and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex.  In 2025, BLA claimed responsibility for the March hijacking of the Jaffar Express train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding hostage over 300 train passengers,” Rubio’s statement said.

The Majeed Brigade operates as the BLA’s specialised suicide wing. It is named after two brothers, both named Majeed Langove, who died fighting for the Baloch cause. Read our detailed explainer about the brother here. 

The Majeed Brigade carried out its first suicide attack on December 30, 2011, in which 14 people were killed. After a long hiatus, the group became active again in 2018, attacking a bus carrying Chinese engineers in Dalbandin near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The Majeed Brigade has also attacked the Chinese Consulate in Karachi (2018), the Gwadar Pearl Continental Hotel (2019), and the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi (2020), according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

What is the significance of this step?

In Pakistan, the FTO designation is being celebrated as a win over India, at a time Donald Trump is penalising New Delhi for its trade with Russia. According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry termed the designation “a fruit of Pakistan’s successful diplomacy and a “great win” for the country. “He said the groups were “proxies” of India that were sponsored by the neighbouring country and others. “The day is not far when their sponsors will also be on the list of terrorists. This will not only strengthen Pakistan against fighting terrorist organisations, but the stronger Pakistan is against terrorism, the safer the world will be from terrorists,” he said,” Dawn reported.

However, last month, the US had designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as an FTO, which has claimed responsibility for the April Pahalgam attack. India’s Ministry of External Affairs had then said, “The TRF, a proxy of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), has been involved in numerous terror-related activities… The designation of TRF is a timely and important step reflecting the deep cooperation between India and the United States on counter-terrorism.”