In a significant diplomatic development, the United States, United Kingdom, and France have blocked a joint Pakistan-China proposal to designate the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its suicide wing, the Majeed Brigade, as terrorist entities under the UN Security Council’s 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee.
The decision, announced on September 18, 2025, came during a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, where Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, highlighted the threat posed by groups like the BLA, accusing them of operating from Afghan sanctuaries.
The US’s earlier designation was seen as a balancing act after labeling The Resistance Front, linked to the Pahalgam attack, as a Lashkar-e-Taiba affiliate. By blocking the UN listing, the US, supported by its allies, appears to prioritize strategic considerations, possibly to counter Pakistan’s narrative of Indian backing for the BLA—a claim India denies.
For Pakistan and China, the rejection is a setback, as a UN listing would have bolstered Islamabad’s allegations of external support for Baloch insurgents and strengthened measures against the group’s attacks on Chinese interests, like the 2024 Gwadar Port and Karachi airport bombings. The BLA, active since 2000 and banned by Pakistan, the US, UK, and EU, opposes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and has targeted security forces and civilians. The Majeed Brigade, formed in 2011, is known for suicide attacks, including the 2022 Karachi University bombing by a female bomber.
The decision mirrors China’s past use of technical holds to block sanctions on Pakistan-based terrorists like Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Sajid Mir and Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Abdul Rauf Asghar, highlighting geopolitical maneuvering within the UNSC. Pakistan, a non-permanent UNSC member for 2025-26, and China, a veto-wielding permanent member, expressed hope for swift action, but the hold underscores tensions in global counterterrorism efforts.
