ISLAMABAD: The United States on Tuesday declared Pakistan’s separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), as a terror outfit, accusing it of “targetting Chinese engineers in Balochistan” and Gwadar terrorist attack.
“BLA has carried out several terrorist attacks in the past year, including a suicide attack in August 2018 that targeted Chinese engineers in Balochistan, a November 2018 attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi, and a May 2019 attack against a luxury hotel in Gwadar, Balochistan,” a statement released by the US State Department on Tuesday read.
Reacting to the development, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday: “We have taken note of the designation by the US Administration of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).”
The statement by the FO added that the BLA remains a proscribed entity in Pakistan since 2006 and in recent times has carried out several terrorist attacks in the country.
“It is hoped that this designation will ensure that the BLA’s space to operate is minimized,” the statement said, adding that it is important for the perpetrators, organizers, financers and external sponsors, including those glorifying these acts of terror against Pakistan, to be held accountable and brought to justice.
US designates Pakistan’s Baloch separatist outfit a terrorist group
US designates Pakistan’s Baloch separatist outfit a terrorist group
- BLA has been banned in Pakistan since 2006
- New listing will put sanctions on the funding and movement of BLA members
Pakistan says it has received no request to join Gaza stabilization force
- Foreign Office says any decision on participating in an international mechanism will be guided by sovereign policy considerations
- It says Pakistan’s security collaboration with Saudi Arabia is longstanding and should not be narrowly viewed as troop deployment
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has not taken any decision on joining a proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza and has received no formal request from the United States or any other country in this regard, the foreign office said on Thursday.
Trump’s Gaza plan, outlined as part of a 20-point framework, envisages the deployment of troops from Muslim-majority countries during a transitional stabilization phase, intended to support security and governance as the war-ravaged Palestinian territory moves toward reconstruction and a longer-term political settlement.
International media outlets claim Washington views Pakistan as a potentially significant contributor given its battle-hardened military, which has fought a brief but intense conflict with India this year and continues to combat insurgencies in its remote regions.
Responding to a query during his weekly media briefing, the foreign office spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, said discussions on ISF for Gaza were ongoing in “certain capitals,” but Pakistan had neither committed to participate nor received any specific request.
“We have not taken a sovereign decision to participate in ISF as yet,” he said. “I am not aware of any specific request made to Pakistan. We will inform you about any development if it takes place.”
He added that while Gaza and Palestine remain part of Pakistan’s broader diplomatic engagements with regional partners, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and members of the United Nations Security Council, the issue of deploying a stabilization force had not been discussed as a standalone, structured agenda item.
“These discussions come up in the broader context of how to stabilize Gaza and ensure peace, but not as a specific, formal proposal,” he added.
The spokesperson maintained Pakistan supports efforts aimed at Gaza’s stabilization and peace but would make any decision on participation in international mechanisms strictly in line with its sovereign policy considerations.
In response to a question about a recent news report by Reuters about a possible visit by Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir to the United States to meet US President Donald Trump, Andrabi said there was no confirmation of such plans.
“I can contradict the report in its essence,” he said. “The report suggested as if a visit has been planned or finalized. I do not have any information on the timing or any future visit.”
Earlier, a White House official told Arab News on background no meeting was scheduled between Trump and Munir “at this time.”
The foreign office spokesperson stressed that official visits by Pakistan’s political or military leadership are announced formally by the government ahead of time.
“When an official visit takes place, there is an official announcement. I do not have any such information to share,” he added.
To a question regarding the Pakistan–Saudi Arabia Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) signed in September, he said security collaboration between Islamabad and Riyadh was longstanding, reiterating that the latest pact had only codified and further elaborated the partnership.
Andrabi maintained the pact should not be interpreted narrowly as the deployment of Pakistani forces, noting that defense cooperation covered a wide spectrum including training, joint exercises and institutional collaboration.
“As I said, it’s an ongoing process,” he said. “You should not read it just in the context of sending your forces. There are training, joint exercises that keep on going. If you interpret training as sending forces, I cannot say that. I mean, sending of forces is a very broad term. But our defense corporation, as I said, is ongoing.”
