ISLAMABAD: Australia on Friday imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its leaders over what it described as the group’s involvement in violent attacks in Pakistan.
The BLA, a separatist militant group operating in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, has been blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in the country in recent years, including the March 2025 hijacking of the Jaffar Express passenger train in which militants took hundreds hostage after blowing up railway tracks in the mountainous Bolan region.
The group has also been linked by Pakistani authorities to attacks on Chinese workers in the country, security personnel and infrastructure in Balochistan. BLA was also blamed for a suicide bombing on a school bus in Khuzdar last year that killed children and injured dozens of others.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the sanctions targeted the BLA for its “engagement in and support of terrorist attacks,” adding that the measures were aimed at disrupting the group’s financial networks and operational capabilities.
“The Balochistan Liberation Army is a group that has conducted violent terror attacks across Pakistan,” Wong said in a statement. “These appalling attacks have targeted civilians, critical infrastructure, and foreign nationals, as well as the Pakistani state.”
She said the sanctions would make it harder for the group “to fund operations, recruit and spread their harmful ideology.”
Under Australian law, it is now a criminal offense to use or deal with the assets of sanctioned entities, with penalties including heavy fines and prison terms.
Last year, the United States designated the BLA and its fighting wing, the Majeed Brigade, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), a move that coincided with the visit of Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to Washington.
Pakistan has long faced a separatist insurgency in Balochistan, a mineral-rich but underdeveloped province bordering Afghanistan and Iran. Separatist groups accuse the state of exploiting the province’s natural resources without adequately sharing the benefits with local populations.
However, Islamabad denies the allegations and says it is investing heavily in infrastructure, energy and development projects aimed at improving livelihoods and integrating the province economically with the rest of the country.
