The United States, France, and the UK have together put a ‘technical hold’ on Pakistan’s bid to list the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as terrorist groups at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 1267 Sanctions Committee.

Pakistan, a non-permanent member of the UNSC, was backed by permanent member China for the proposal. However, the other three permanent members of the Security Council argued that the BLA does not have links with Al Qaeda or ISIL. This temporary hold is usually for about six months.

Ambassador Asif Karim Ahmed, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told a meeting of the UNSC held on September 17 that, “Pakistan and China have jointly submitted to the 1267 Sanctions Committee a request to designate the BLA and Majeed Brigade. We hope the Council will act actively on this listing to curb terrorist activities.”

This hold has been put on Islamabad’s request until it can furnish more information linking the BLA and Majeed Brigade to the two terror groups.

US State Department and Terrorism

The UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee deals with terrorist groups with links to Al Qaeda and ISIS. The US Department of State on August 11 this year designated both the BLA and Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). The BLA was earlier designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity in 2019 after several attacks. Since then, the BLA has claimed responsibility for further attacks, including those carried out by the Majeed Brigade. In 2024, the BLA claimed it had carried out suicide attacks near Karachi airport and at the Badarpur Authority complex. Similarly, in March this year, the BLA claimed responsibility for the hijacking of the Jaffar Express, travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, in which over 300 passengers were taken hostage and 31 people were killed.

Pakistan is now hoping to follow the US State Department’s designation of the BLA by having the group listed under the UNSC sanctions list.

The US also designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba, as a terrorist organisation in July this year after the Belgaum terrorist attack. The TRF, which claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, was also mentioned in the UNSC report monitoring sanctions on terror outfits.