Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir’s nuclear remarks in the United States and the simultaneous designation of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) underscore that South Asia’s rivalries extend well beyond the subcontinent, according to a new report by the Rome-based Indo-Mediterranean Initiative CNKY.

During his visit to Tampa, Munir declared that Pakistan would “wait for India to build a dam, and when they do so, we will destroy it.” India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned the comments as “nuclear sabre-rattling” and reiterated concerns over Pakistan’s compromised nuclear command, where the military operates in tandem with terror groups. New Delhi also criticized the fact that such remarks were made “from the soil of a friendly third country.”

Just hours later, the Trump administration announced the designation of the BLA and its elite Majeed Brigade as FTOs — a move Pakistan had long demanded. For India, the episode signals that closer ties with Washington do not necessarily prevent tactical alignments between the US and Pakistan, particularly in counterterrorism, at a time when India–US relations face strains.

The report notes that Washington’s targeting of the BLA serves Beijing’s interests as well, since the insurgent group has repeatedly attacked Chinese engineers and projects linked to the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This outcome, it argued, reflects the ironic overlap of US and Chinese security concerns despite their broader strategic rivalry.

The CNKY analysis also points out that the Baloch insurgency stretches into Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province, where Tehran faces militant threats. Weakening the BLA indirectly supports Iran’s objectives, further complicating a regional landscape where US, Chinese, and Iranian interests converge and collide.