During his official visit to the US, Pakistani COAS FM Asim Munir secured a significant victory for Pakistan when on August 11, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Majeed Bridge, the suicide wing of Balochistan Liberation Army’s (BLA) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Addition of Majeed Brigade in the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list, where BLA has been already added since 2019, resonates not only the growing trust between Islamabad and Washington on terrorism it’s also a significant diplomatic setback to India.

FTO being the most severe category in the US counterterrorism arsenal, this latest US decision enables the US legal and security organizations to take action against anyone within US jurisdiction to provide ‘material support or resources’ to the BLA or Majeed Brigade.

The message embedded in this US move is clear that Pakistan will no longer face relentless accusations of playing a “double game” on terrorism. The US decision is a rare vindication of Islamabad’s long-held narrative regarding the Baloch separatist threat and India’s role in fueling it.  On the other hand, this decision decimated two decades two-decade-long anti-Pakistan lobbying by in Washington through propaganda, fake media outlets, and psyops.

Indian media and government always frame the BLA as a legitimate freedom-fighting movement striving against so-called Pakistani oppression. This latest move by the US presents an acute geopolitical impediment for the Modi regime, exposing the contradictions in its posture on terrorism.

Strategically, there is a significant weight of this designation of Baloch terror network as FTO designation for any organization represents US commitment to curtail BLA/MB overseas operations. FTO being the most severe category in the US counterterrorism arsenal, this latest US decision enables the US legal and security organizations to take action against anyone within US jurisdiction to provide “material support or resources” to the BLA or Majeed Brigade.

This includes recruitment, training, logistical aid, and funding. BLA and Majeed Brigade have been enjoying overseas support in the US and elsewhere in Europe, now the US has indicated its willingness to investigate individuals on US soil for their links with BLA/Majeed Brigade on Pakistani request. This indeed is a manifestation of Army Chief’s relentless diplomatic overtures in the US post-May 2025 India-Pakistan stand-off.

Previously, BLA was added in SDGT listing in 2019, which primarily targeted the BLA’s finances only but with FTO status for both BLA and Majeed Brigade, material support or resources provision will come under scrutiny. Crucially, the US decision has placed the BLA/Majeed Brigade in the same category as groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, declaring that these two terror entities are a threat to regional stability and U.S. interests. The timing, immediately following a second high-profile visit to Washington by Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, underscores the designation’s role in a broader recalibration of US-Pakistan relations.

The US latest action stems from a documented trail of bloodshed where BLA and Majeed Brigade accepted their involvement in the killing of thousands of Pakistanis, sabotage, and other crimes like kidnapping, including the horrific March 2025 hijacking of the Jaffar Express train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar. This particular incident played catalytic role in trigger US action as per State Department press release.

The U.S., a global counterterrorism leader and India’s strategic partner, has effectively endorsed Pakistan’s core claim: the BLA/Majeed Brigade is not a legitimate resistance movement but a terrorist organization.

31 civilians and security personnel lost their lives in this single incident apart from over 300 passengers who were taken hostage. This attack was part of long string of violent incidents carried out by BLA and Majeed Brigade. Apart from these atrocities, The BLA, since 2005 has maintained a well-established violent modus operandi marked by systematic ethnic cleansing campaigns against non-Baloch civilians (particularly Punjabis).

After US withdrawal from Afghanistan, BLA established links with TTP for operational cooperation and began training its female recruits for suicide bombings targeting Pakistani security forces and Chinese citizen working in Balochistan. Shari Baloch became first female bomber who targeted Chinese in Karachi in 2022. Attacks on development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) like Gwadar Port. Their ideology blends Baloch ethno-nationalism with virulent anti-Punjabi and anti-Chinese sentiment, seeking the secession of Balochistan through terror.

India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)’s footprint in BLA’s terror and ethnic cleansing campaigns have been exposed multiple times by Pakistan. Indian deep state has financed BLA through various Gulf countries. DG ISPR Pakistan Army exposed Indian network stretching from Eastern border to the South Western districts of Balochistan with evidences including audio intercepts, forensic audit, and confessional statements of captured terrorists who were working for their Indian handlers.

Earlier this month, an Indian Octa-copter was shootdown near Lahore by Pakistani air defense system. Such systems are being used by RAW to provide material support to BLA and other terrorists groups active in Pakistan. This support includes supply of IEDs, RDX, and instructional packages. The arrest of Kulbhushan Yadav, an Indian naval officer, in Balochistan in 2016 remains most compelling evidence of Indian interference in Balochistan. Yadav himself confessed and exposed RAW activities he carried out including funding and supporting Baloch insurgents, including the BLA, and fomenting sectarian violence.

Evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan doesn’t end there. India has housed and treated various BLA HVTs in Indian hospitals. The case of Aslam “Achu” Baloch and other commanders clearly prove this fact. Achu was treated in a hospital of Delhi for 6 months. Furthermore, Indian consulates in Kandahar and Jalalabad served as coordinative operation centers during all major attacks. These consulates are responsible for providing arms, training, and funding to BLA.

The arrest of Kulbhushan Yadav, an Indian naval officer, in Balochistan in 2016 remains most compelling evidence of Indian interference in Balochistan.

Finally, Indian support to BLA is often replicated by the terror group. BLA leaders have more than once, expressed their support to India’s stance on Pakistan, its armed forces, and Kashmir, and have publicly urged India to champion the Baloch cause internationally. In this backdrop, FTO Designation of BLA and Majeed Brigade is a Strategic Win for Pakistan as it delivers a powerful message about tangible victory for Pakistan on multiple levels.

• The U.S., a global counterterrorism leader and India’s strategic partner, has effectively endorsed Pakistan’s core claim: the BLA/Majeed Brigade is not a legitimate resistance movement but a terrorist organization.
• The designation places India in an acutely awkward position. Its denials of involvement with the BLA now face heightened international scrutiny. FTO designation of BLA/Majeed Brigade is domestically contentious for Modi regime given its past.
• While the BLA likely has limited direct assets in the U.S., the designation complicates its international logistics, potentially hinders diaspora fundraising (even if covert), and increases pressure on other nations to crack down on any BLA affiliates or supporters.

Coming on the heels of FM Munir’s visit and amidst talks of US investment in Balochistan, the designation signals a warming of ties under the Trump administration.  These developments suggest a US readiness to prioritize counter-terrorism cooperation and regional over solely catering to Indian sensitivities.

The U.S. designation of the BLA’s Majeed Brigade as an FTO is a pivotal moment in the long-running shadow war over Balochistan.

The U.S. designation of the BLA’s Majeed Brigade as an FTO is a pivotal moment in the long-running shadow war over Balochistan. It represents a hard-won diplomatic triumph for Pakistan, finally securing powerful international recognition for its stance on the terrorist nature of the BLA and implicitly validating its accusations of Indian interference. For India, it is a significant setback, forcing a reevaluation of its position and complicating its regional diplomacy. The designation changes the international perception of the conflict, but resolving it requires confronting its complex, deeply rooted local realities.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.