The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has been officially inducted in the Specifically Designated Nationals List of the United States. The move comes weeks after the attack on the Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar which killed five people and injured many others. The inclusion has been lauded by the Pakistan administration but the BLA is not too pleased by it.
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The spokesperson for the BLA, Jiyand Baloch declared that the inclusion of the organisation in the list was “unjustified and beyond comprehension.” Further commenting that the BLA is a moderate and secular armed organisation that is resisting the foreign influence to protect their people.
The Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs appreciated the actions of the US Treasury in a statement saying “BLA remains a proscribed entity in Pakistan since 2006 and in recent times has carried several attacks in the country.”
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The BLA is the oldest and largest militant adversary to Pakistan. The militant movement has operated in the provinces of Balochistan and neighbouring areas of Afghanistan for years. The BLA claims that the rich resources of the provinces have been systematically abused by Pakistan and the locals and the tribes have not been receiving their due share. In recent times the BLA has seemed to have improved upon its tactics and changed their traditional ways. An organisation that was formerly held by sardars (chieftain of tribes) have now upgraded to a network of rural and urban diaspora.
