US, UK and France Block UN Move to List BLA and Majeed Brigade as Terrorist Groups

The United States, United Kingdom, and France have blocked a joint Pakistan–China proposal to list the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its suicide wing, the Majeed Brigade, under the United Nations 1267 sanctions regime, placing the request on a technical hold due to insufficient evidence linking the groups to Al Qaeda or ISIL.

According to diplomatic sources, Western members argued that the submission failed to meet the specific legal requirements of the UN 1267 framework, which mandates clear operational connections to Al Qaeda, the Taliban, or ISIL. Instead of an outright rejection, the decision was framed as a technical hold, allowing the dossier to be revised and resubmitted in the future.

The move follows earlier unilateral actions by the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Treasury, which designated the BLA and Majeed Brigade as terrorist organizations. While those steps were welcomed by Pakistan, they do not automatically qualify under the stricter standards of the UN regime.

Pakistan has repeatedly highlighted that the BLA operates from bases across the Afghanistan border and has carried out deadly attacks targeting civilians, security forces, and infrastructure inside Pakistan. Islamabad, backed by China, pressed for the UN designation to curb the groups’ financial resources, arms procurement, and international movement.

Analysts point out that the episode underscores a broader divide between national counterterrorism measures and multilateral UN processes. While countries can independently sanction groups, the UN requires a higher threshold of evidence, especially concerning links to Al Qaeda or ISIL.

The technical hold means that Pakistan and China can submit a revised dossier with more concrete evidence in the coming months. The matter is expected to remain under discussion in the Security Council’s sanctions committee, where further consultations will determine the path forward.