By The South Asia Times

CANBERRA – Australia has imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and three of its senior leaders, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced Friday, citing the group's "appalling attacks" on civilians, critical infrastructure, and foreign nationals in Pakistan.

The designation freezes any assets held by the group in Australia and makes it a criminal offense to deal with BLA-linked assets, with penalties including heavy fines and up to 10 years in prison.

In a statement, Wong said the Australian government's commitment to countering terrorism and violent extremism is unwavering.

"The Balochistan Liberation Army is a group that has conducted violent terror attacks across Pakistan," Wong said. "These appalling attacks have targeted civilians, critical infrastructure, and foreign nationals, as well as the Pakistani state."

She added: "These sanctions help cut off financial support of terrorists, making it harder for them to fund operations, recruit and spread their harmful ideology."

The sanctions target the BLA as an organization, along with three senior leaders:

• Bashir Zaib

• Hammal Rehan

• Jeeyand Baloch

The BLA is a terrorist group operating primarily in Pakistan's Balochistan province, which has waged an insurgency for decades. The group has claimed responsibility for numerous high-profile attacks, including suicide bombings, targeted killings, and assaults on security forces and Chinese nationals working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

With this move, Australia aligns itself with the United States and the United Kingdom, both of which have previously designated the BLA as a terrorist organization. The UK proscribed the BLA under its Terrorism Act 2000 in 2024, while the US State Department designated the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2019.

Australia's move is seen as part of broader Western coordination to disrupt the group's financing networks, which are believed to operate through informal channels including shell companies and cryptocurrency.

Wong emphasized that Australia remains "committed to working with our international partners to confront and dismantle the networks that fuel threats to our security."

The sanctions regime makes it a criminal offense to use or deal with the assets of a listed person or entity, or to make assets available to them.

"Penalties for a breach of an Australian sanctions law include heavy fines and up to 10 years' imprisonment," Wong's statement said.

Islamabad has long urged Western nations to take tougher action against the BLA, which Pakistan accuses of receiving support from hostile intelligence agencies, including India.