WASHINGTON: Pakistan and China have asked the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to designate the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its suicide wing, the Majeed Brigade, as terrorist groups.
The United States, United Kingdom, and France placed a technical hold on the proposal, blocking its inclusion under the UN’s 1267 sanctions regime, media reports said. The three Western powers argued that the evidence was insufficient to link the groups with Al Qaeda or the Islamic State.
The US stance surprised many observers. Just last month, Washington had placed both the BLA and the Majeed Brigade on its national list of foreign terrorist organisations.
At the time, analysts described the move as a balancing act after the U.S. also designated The Resistance Front, accused of the Pahalgam attack, as a Lashkar-e-Taiba affiliate.
In July last, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) report states that Indian proxy groups—the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), including its Majeed Brigade, and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—maintain close coordination. The report highlights the growing sophistication of BLA attacks, citing the dramatic hijacking of the Jaffar Express in Balochistan, Pakistan.
These terrorist groups—TTP, referred to as Fitna al-Khawarij, and BLA, known as Fitna al-Hindustan—are actively operating in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, respectively. Exposing the nexuses of both groups, the report says that, in January 2025, TTP held terrorist trainings in Balochistan.
Earlier this month, a former CIA counterintelligence operative claimed that the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is now working directly with Al-Qaeda, raising alarms about regional militancy.
Speaking to The Wire Pakistan, the ex-CIA officer said the BLA, long viewed as an Indian proxy, has integrated operationally with Al-Qaeda networks. She alleged the group is receiving training abroad following U.S. sanctions.
She also warned that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has expanded significantly in Afghanistan under Taliban protection. According to her, the Taliban have permitted the TTP to run more than 40 training camps, providing weapons, funding, and safe haven. The group now fields an estimated 15,000 fighters, including foreign militants from Yemen and Central Asia, making it “a legion, not a local insurgency.”
“The TTP is not what people think,” she said. “It is bigger, international, and officially part of Al-Qaeda’s structure.” She added that TTP deputy military chief Muzaffar Muzahim has joined Al-Qaeda’s senior shura.
