UN: US, UK, France Block Pakistan-China Bid to Sanction BLA

The United States, United Kingdom, and France have blocked a joint proposal by Pakistan and China to designate the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its suicide unit, the Majeed Brigade, under the UN Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Regime, citing a lack of evidence connecting the groups to global jihadist networks such as Al-Qaeda or ISIS.

This development comes just weeks after Washington independently labeled both the BLA and Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) under its domestic counterterrorism laws—highlighting a growing divergence between national and international frameworks for counterterrorism designations.

Established in 1999, the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Regime specifically targets individuals and entities affiliated with Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIL (ISIS), enforcing travel bans, asset freezes, and arms embargoes. The US, UK, and France argued that while the BLA and its offshoot engage in violent acts, they lack demonstrated operational ties to global jihadist groups required under 1267 criteria.

The proposal, jointly submitted by Islamabad and Beijing, followed a series of deadly attacks allegedly carried out by the BLA, including suicide bombings and attacks targeting Chinese personnel and infrastructure projects tied to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“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,” said Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, during a Security Council session on Wednesday.

 

Ahmed warned that groups such as ISIL-K, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda, and the BLA continue to operate with impunity, launching cross-border attacks from Afghanistan into Pakistan. He urged the Taliban-led government in Kabul to prevent Afghan soil from becoming a haven for terrorist entities.

Western diplomats acknowledged the domestic threat posed by the BLA and Majeed Brigade but maintained that the groups do not meet the global jihadist criteria of the 1267 list. The BLA, formed in the early 2000s, is a separatist group seeking independence for Balochistan, a restive province in southwest Pakistan. Islamabad has repeatedly accused foreign powers of covertly supporting the BLA—a claim that remains contested internationally.

The Majeed Brigade, named after a Baloch student who carried out a suicide attack in the 1970s, has claimed responsibility for several high-profile attacks. These include:

• The 2018 suicide bombing at the Chinese Consulate in Karachi
• The 2019 assault on the Pakistan Stock Exchange

• Multiple attacks on Chinese nationals and infrastructure projects tied to CPEC

   

The U.S. designated the BLA as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity in 2019 and upgraded its status to Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2024.

The rejection of the sanctions proposal underscores the geopolitical complexities and strategic calculations that often shape counter-terrorism decisions within the UN Security Council. Analysts warn that the case reflects broader challenges in building a unified global standard for terrorism classification, especially as many regional groups increasingly adopt violent tactics without aligning ideologically with global jihadist movements.

Pakistan continues to advocate for the recognition of all forms of terrorism, arguing that political or ideological nuances should not prevent international action against violent insurgent groups.

Source: The Pioneer