Overview

• The State Department designated the BLA and its elite Majeed Brigade faction under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, adding the Brigade as an alias to the group’s 2019 SDGT status
• The FTO label, effective upon Federal Register publication, empowers US authorities to prosecute material support, freeze assets in American jurisdictions and bar visas for affiliates
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited the group’s claimed responsibility for 2024 suicide bombings near Karachi airport and Gwadar Port and the March 2025 Jaffar Express hijacking that killed 31 and held over 300 hostage
• Pakistan’s federal and provincial leaders, including Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, praised the move as a counterterrorism win during Army Chief Asim Munir’s Washington visit and linked trade discussions
• Analysts warn that while the designation tightens legal pressure on Baloch insurgents, it does not resolve the province’s deep-rooted resource and political grievances