ISLAMABAD: The United States has designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The move carries severe legal, financial, and political consequences.
Here’s what that means:
- Legal Implications
- Criminal Penalties: In the United States, providing any form of material support to the BLA—money, weapons, training, or recruitment—becomes a federal crime.
- Travel Bans and Deportation: BLA members and supporters can be barred from entering the U.S. or deported, particularly from countries that cooperate with U.S. counterterrorism measures.
- Financial Implications
- Asset Freezes: All BLA-linked assets in the U.S. or in foreign banks under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.
- Global Banking Restrictions: Other countries and international banks often follow the U.S. lead, effectively cutting the BLA off from the global financial system.
- Targeting Financial Networks: Businesses or NGOs found funding the BLA may also face sanctions.
- Political & Diplomatic Implications
- International Stigma: The FTO and SDGT designations encourage other governments to take stricter action.
- Pressure on State and Non-State Actors: Countries or groups providing the BLA with shelter, training, or safe havens face increased international pressure.
- Loss of Legitimacy: The BLA’s claims of being a “freedom movement” are formally rejected at the global level; they are officially recognized as a terrorist group.
