U.S. State Department has designated the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, escalating from its 2019 Specially Designated Global Terrorist status.
This designation criminalizes support for the BLA in the U.S. and aims to disrupt its financial networks. The move follows a March 2025 BLA-claimed train attack that killed dozens and held 450 passengers hostage. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the designation reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to counterterrorism, amid warming U.S.-Pakistan ties under President Trump, contrasting with the Biden administration’s more distant approach.
Pakistan accuses India of supporting the BLA, a claim India denies, while Baloch separatists and rights groups criticize Pakistan’s military for alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in response to the insurgency.
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