KARACHI: The United States (US) is designating the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group active in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, as a “foreign terrorist organization,” the State Department said on Monday.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but most impoverished province, has been the site of a long-running insurgency that has intensified in recent months, with separatist militants attacking security forces, government officials and installations and people from other provinces.

The BLA, which also uses the alias of ‘The Majeed Brigade,’ is the most prominent of separatist groups in Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to key China-led infrastructure projects, including a port and a gold-copper mine.

In March, the group claimed responsibility for the hijacking of the Jaffar Express train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding hostage over 300 train passengers. In 2024, it claimed suicide attacks on Chinese nationals in Karachi and Gwadar.

“Today’s action taken by the Department of State demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to countering terrorism,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quoted as saying by the State Department.

“Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities.”

The foreign terrorist organization designation by the US triggers restrictions on providing financial support and other aid to the group.

The US designation of the BLA comes amid a spike in militant violence in Pakistan’s Balochistan, which Islamabad has blamed on India and Afghanistan. New Delhi and Kabul deny the allegation.

On Monday, Pakistan Railways suspended all train services to and from the insurgency-hit southwestern province for four days after separatists blew up a railway track, derailing six cars of the Jaffar Express train, officials said. The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack, which came as Pakistan prepares to mark its 79th Independence Day on Aug. 14.

Separatist groups operating in the mineral-rich region accuse the central government of stealing their resources to fund development elsewhere in the country. The federal government denies the allegations and says it is working for the uplift of local communities in Balochistan.