US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its front organisation, The Majeed Brigade (TMB), as foreign terrorist organisations (FTOs).

In a statement Monday, Rubio also added the TMB as an alias to the BLA’s existing Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation, first imposed in 2019. He said the move reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to countering terrorism and cutting off support for extremist activities.

The BLA, he noted, has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including the March hijacking of the Jaffar Express train from Quetta to Peshawar, which killed 31 civilians and security personnel and saw more than 300 passengers held hostage.

The announcement coincided with Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, visiting the US to attend a farewell ceremony for US CENTCOM commander General Michael Kurilla in Tampa, Florida. Kurilla’s successor, Admiral Brad Cooper, was also welcomed at the event.

The FTO designation bans all material and financial support for the groups, freezes their assets in the US, and imposes travel restrictions on members. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) enforces the SDGT designation, blocking assets and prohibiting transactions.

The Balochistan Liberation Army has been involved in a long-running insurgency, with Baloch activists accusing Pakistan’s government of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and systemic repression. Local media report that many Baloch leaders remain imprisoned without trial, denied bail, and held under preventive detention laws, with families and lawyers often barred from access despite court orders.