Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) classified as a global terrorist group by USA
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Army Chief and Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed (DG ISI) played major role in realization by the international community that BLA is a terrorist group.
WASHINGTON (Wed, 3rd July, 2019) – Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is being classified as “Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)” group yesterday by USA which is a positive and crucial development for Pakistan and another step towards regional peace.
This development is another success for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government particularly the effective international dealing of Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Sources reveal that the Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed (DG ISI) have played a major role in realization by the international community that BLA is a terrorist group funded by the enemies of Pakistan and regional peace.
Pakistan had already declared BLA as a proscribed entity since 2006.
The banned BLA “is an armed group that targets security forces and civilians, mainly in Baloch areas of Pakistan,” the State Department said in its designation.
The security forces have been fighting terrorists in Balochistan since 2004, with the militants recently finding a new focus in rallying against China’s investment that is part of its major Belt and Road initiative.
The BLA has targeted Chinese nationals in Pakistan multiple times, including a blatant daylight attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi that killed four people in November 2018.
Recently on 11, May, five people including a soldier were killed after gunmen stormed the only five-star hotel in Gwadar, the port city which Pakistan and China are in process to convert into a major regional commercial hub.
Claiming responsibility for the hotel attack, the BLA warned China to stop its “exploitative projects in Balochistan” and threatened further attacks.
The USA’s designation of BLA as a terrorist group will ensure that BLA’S space to operate is minimized and it will be a crime for anyone in the US to assist the militants while any/all BLA assets in USA will be freezed.