Pakistan's recent attempt, supported by China, to have the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade designated under the UNSC's 1267 sanctions framework has once again exposed a structural tension in global counterterrorism: the gap between recognised threats and collective action.

The proposal was blocked by the US, France and the UK on procedural grounds. Their position is that the 1267 sanctions regime is a blacklist mechanism designed primarily for Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and their affiliates, and is not applicable to organisations considered regional in scope. While this interpretation may be legally grounded, it raises broader questions about whether existing global mechanism are keeping pace with evolving militant landscapes.

There is little ambiguity, however, on the nature of the group itself. The US declared the BLA as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity in 2019 and later extended sanctions to its Majeed Brigade faction. The central issue, therefore, is not recognition of the........

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