News Desk
CANBERRA: The Australian government on Friday imposed counterterrorism financing sanctions on the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its senior leaders “for their engagement in and support of terrorist attacks”.
Announcing the sanctions, Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the BLA had carried out “violent terror attacks” across Pakistan, targeting civilians, critical infrastructure and foreign nationals, as well as the Pakistani state. She said the Australian government’s commitment to countering terrorism and violent extremism remained “unwavering”.
According to Wong, the sanctions were intended to cut off financial support to terrorist groups, making it harder for them to fund operations, recruit members and spread what she described as “harmful ideology”. “We remain committed to working with our international partners to confront and dismantle the networks that fuel threats to our security,” she said.
The sanctions make it a criminal offence to use or deal with the assets of a listed person or entity, or to make assets available to them. Wong said penalties for breaching Australian sanctions laws include heavy fines and up to 10 years’ imprisonment. She added that Australia’s counterterrorism sanctions were targeted, proportionate and designed to uphold international peace and security.
Australia’s announcement follows a decision by the United States last year to formally designate the BLA and its Majeed Brigade faction as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). In August 2025, the US State Department also added the Majeed Brigade as an alias to the BLA’s earlier designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity.
