Balochistan Separatists in Pakistan Deemed Foreign Terrorists by America (China)
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The administration of President Donald Trump has recently designated Balochistan (Baluchistan) separatists as an international terrorist group. As a result, political elites in Pakistan view the Trump administration as more favorable toward their interests.
Pakistani officials have welcomed the warming of ties with the United States and praised Washington’s decision to designate the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its armed wing, the Majeed Brigade, as international terrorist organizations. This move is expected to be well received by the visiting Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Meanwhile, U.S.-India relations have encountered turbulence due to New Delhi’s close ties with the Russian Federation. In response, the Trump administration has imposed higher tariffs on India, citing concerns over India’s continued import of Russian energy and other significant economic engagements with Moscow.
AP News reports, “The announcement comes less than two weeks after Washington and Islamabad reached a trade agreement expected to allow U.S. firms to help develop Pakistan’s largely untapped oil reserves in resource-rich Balochistan and to lower trade tariffs for Islamabad.”
The United States Department of State declared that it is “…designating the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and adding the Majeed Brigade as an alias to BLA’s previous Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation.”
Ironically, the designation of the BLA as a terrorist organization will also be welcomed by China. This is because China and Pakistan are jointly engaged in the exploitation of Balochistan’s natural resources, particularly under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). As a result, Baloch insurgent groups are likely to view this move as part of a covert alliance that threatens their struggle for the independence of Balochistan.
The BLA seeks to gain control over the region’s vast natural resources, including copper, gold, iron ore, and oil. As such, Baloch insurgents aim to end what they see as the ongoing exploitation of these resources by Pakistan and China in one of the most resource-rich yet marginalized regions of the country.
China, Iran, and Pakistan each exploit the geopolitical and economic dimensions of Balochistan, often at the expense of the Baloch people—who also face persecution in Iran. In response, the BLA and other insurgent groups seek self-determination and control over their own land and resources, rather than continued external exploitation. Consequently, the U.S. designation of the BLA as a terrorist organization will be perceived as a hostile act by these groups, reinforcing their view that Washington has aligned itself against the Baloch cause.
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
http://moderntokyotimes.com Modern Tokyo Times – International News and Japan News
http://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi’s website and Modern Tokyo Times artist
https://moderntokyonews.com Modern Tokyo News – Tokyo News and International News
PLEASE JOIN ON TWITTER
https://twitter.com/MTT_News Modern Tokyo Times
PLEASE JOIN ON FACEBOOK