In a major breakdown, the United States, United Kingdom, and France have blocked a joint Pakistan-China proposal to sanction the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its suicide wing, the Majeed Brigade. It has been done under the United Nations Security Council’s 1267 sanctions regime.
The three Western countries argued that there was not enough evidence to link the BLA or the Majeed Brigade with Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State of Iraq and ISIL. The 1267 sanctions system, created through a 1999 UN Security Council resolution, allows for measures such as travel bans, asset freezes, and arms restrictions against individuals or groups connected to Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or ISIL.
US Already Declared BLA as Terror Group
Last month, Washington had declared both the BLA and the Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs). The BLA had earlier been listed by the US as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group in 2019 after being linked to several deadly attacks. The Majeed Brigade, the BLA’s suicide squad, has claimed responsibility for a number of high-profile bombings and assaults in recent years.
Concerns Over Cross-Border Terrorism
Pakistan and China had submitted the joint proposal to the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee. Speaking at the Security Council, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, stressed that groups like ISIL-K, Al-Qaeda, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the BLA, and the Majeed Brigade were operating from Afghanistan and carrying out cross-border attacks against Pakistan.
Terrorism from Afghanistan continues to be our primary national security threat, Ambassador Ahmed said. He urged the Taliban-led government in Kabul to honor its international commitments to counter terrorism. He added 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 swiftly on this listing to curb their terrorist activities.”
Despite these calls, the move was blocked by the US, UK, and France. Their decision highlighted a divide within the UN Security Council on how to handle groups like the BLA, which Islamabad considers as a direct threat to its stability.
