By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday called on the UN Security Council to act quickly in designating the banned Balochistan Liberation Army as a terrorist organisation under its sanctions regime, warning that the group and other militants operating from Afghan soil pose a growing threat to regional stability.
The appeal came during a Security Council briefing on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, where Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, highlighted his country’s heavy sacrifices in the global fight against terrorism and accused external actors of sponsoring proxy groups. “We hope the council will act swiftly to designate BLA under the 1267 sanctions regime, acceding to the listing request that is currently under consideration,” Ahmad said.
He expressed gratitude to council members for a recent press statement condemning attacks in Balochistan and noted what he called an international “outpouring of support and solidarity with Pakistan.” Pakistan has long contended with insurgent violence in its restive southwestern province of Balochistan, where separatist groups like the BLA have targeted security forces and infrastructure.
The envoy’s remarks showed Islamabad’s frustration with what it views as inadequate international action against militants it says are harboured across borders. “We remain resolute in eliminating this externally sponsored scourge from our soil and exposing the sponsors, financiers, aiders and abettors sitting across our borders.” Ahmad detailed Pakistan’s toll in counterterrorism efforts, describing the country as a frontline state that has “sacrificed blood and treasure — with more than 90,000 casualties and staggering economic losses over the years.”
Recalling past contributions, Ahmad pointed to Pakistan’s role in dismantling al-Qaeda’s core leadership in Afghanistan and combating the Islamic State’s regional affiliate. But he warned that the security landscape has worsened since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021. “Externally sponsored and foreign-funded proxy terrorist groups such as Fitna al Khawarij TTP (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) and Fitna al Hindustan (BLA and its Majeed Brigade) have got a new lease of life,” he said. “Operating with virtual impunity from Afghan soil and with the active support of our eastern neighbour, these groups are responsible for heinous terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.”
The ambassador specifically referenced recent violence in Balochistan, where the BLA claimed responsibility for coordinated assaults. “Just this weekend, BLA claimed responsibility for a series of terrorist attacks across multiple locations in Balochistan Province that resulted in the martyrdom of 48 innocent civilians, including five women and three children,” he said, adding that “145 BLA terrorists were neutralised during the effective riposte by our valiant security forces.”
The United States last year designated the BLA and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as a foreign terrorist organisation, a move that imposes sanctions and travel restrictions. Pakistan’s push at the UN seeks broader international recognition under the Security Council’s 1267 committee, which oversees sanctions against al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and associated groups.
Ahmad also cited reports from the UN’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team to bolster his case, arguing that these militants threaten not just Pakistan but the wider region. He pointed to recent attacks in Central Asia near the Afghan border as evidence of escalating risks. He raised alarms about the proliferation of advanced weaponry abandoned after the 2021 withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan. “It has become imperative to prevent the billions of dollars of sophisticated weapons and equipment left behind by foreign forces in Afghanistan from falling into the hands of terrorists,” Ahmad said, urging accountability for “external destabilising actors who support, finance and arm these groups, including their proxies in Afghanistan.”
Calling for a unified global response, he emphasised the need for collective action without double standards. “The international community must address the contemporary terrorist threat through a collective, comprehensive and coordinated response, including through the balanced implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.” The envoy criticised what he termed selective counterterrorism policies that “have so far singled out only the adherents of one religion.” He advocated for “zero tolerance for state terrorism,” invoking the situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and stressed the importance of recognising “legitimate struggles of peoples against foreign occupation” in accordance with UN resolutions.
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