Pakistan has urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to formally designate the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist organization under the UN’s sanctions regime, according to diplomatic sources. Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, made the appeal during a Security Council debate on threats to international peace, stressing the need for swift action amid rising militant activity.
The appeal highlights concerns that groups such as the BLA and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have gained strength, particularly after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, and are operating with relative freedom from Afghan territory, posing a threat to regional stability. Islamabad pointed out that the United States has already designated the BLA as a foreign terrorist group and hopes the UNSC will follow through on a listing request currently under consideration.
The Pakistani ambassador emphasised the importance of a collective international response to terrorism and urged the council to act “swiftly and decisively” to bring the BLA under the UN’s 1267 sanctions framework, aimed at tightening sanctions such as asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes against listed groups.