‘Every day we hear sounds of shelling,' says journalist in Kashmir
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
U.S. designates Baloch separatists as a terror group over role in attacks in Pakistan
FILE -In this frame grab from a video released by the Baluchistan Liberation Army shows people outside the a train after being attacked by the BLA on its transit from Quetta to the northern city of Peshawar, in Bolan district, Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, March 12, 2025..(BLA via AP, File) ISLAMABAD — Pakistani officials on Tuesday welcomed a move by the U.S. State Department to designate a Pakistani separatist group as a foreign terrorist organization. The designation of the Balochistan Liberation Army and its fighting wing, the Majeed Brigade, blamed for deadly attacks in Balochistan province, coincides with a visit to the U.S. by Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. The announcement comes less than two weeks after Washington and Islamabad reached a trade agreement expected to allow U.S. firms to help develop Pakistan's largely untapped oil reserves in resource-rich Balochistan and lower trade tariffs for Islamabad. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the designation Tuesday, noting that the BLA was banned at home in 2024. 'Pakistan remains a steadfast bulwark against terrorism. Our sacrifices have secured critical counterterrorism successes, not only for the country, but for regional stability and global security,' it said in a statement. The BLA was first designated as a terrorist group in 2019 by the U.S. Treasury Department after several attacks. The State Department said its new designation was added because the group has since claimed responsibility for additional attacks. The new designation means the BLA is now considered a foreign terrorist organization and its supporters will face tougher scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe, analysts said. The BLA claimed responsibility for suicide bombings near the airport in Karachi and in the port city of Gwadar in Balochistan in 2024, the U.S. statement said. It added that the group said it carried out the March hijacking of the Jaffar Express train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding more than 300 passengers hostage. 'Today's action taken by the Department of State demonstrates the Trump administration's commitment to countering terrorism,' the statement said. Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security analyst, said the designation of the BLA and its Majeed Brigade fighting wing follows Munir's visits to the U.S. The designation 'indicates a major policy shift by the Trump administration toward South Asia, highlighting the growing role of military diplomacy, deepening bilateral cooperation on counterterrorism, and showing that Washington shares Pakistan's security concerns about Baloch insurgents,' Ali said. The change also shows the U.S. values stability in Pakistan and its oil- and gas-rich Balochistan province, he said. There was no immediate comment from Balochistan nationalists and separatist groups. Balochistan has long been the scene of insurgency, mostly blamed on groups including the key outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, which the U.S. designated a terrorist organization in 2019. The province is also home to militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban. Separatists in Balochistan have opposed the extraction of resources by Pakistani and foreign firms and have targeted Pakistani security forces and Chinese nationals working on multibillion-dollar projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. While Pakistan's government says it has quelled insurgency, violence persists in Balochistan, where troops last week killed 47 insurgents in two separate operations in the Zhob district. The military said Tuesday it killed three additional insurgents in Zhob, raising the number of militants killed to 50 since Thursday. An explosion on Tuesday ripped through an arms depot in Nowshera, a district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, residents said. There was no immediate statement from police or the military, but authorities were expected to release a statement. ___ Riaz Khan contributed from Peshawar, Pakistan. Munir Ahmed, The Associated Press
Global News
15 hours ago
- Global News
Federal Conservatives call for terror label on India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang
The federal Conservative party has joined the chorus of voices calling for the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang to be added to Canada's list of terrorist organizations. The gang is suspected to be behind the surge of extortion threats in B.C., Alberta and Ontario that have terrified the South Asian community. It has also claimed responsibility on social media for shooting at buildings, including the recent attack on Bollywood star Kapil Sharma's cafe in Surrey, B.C. Sources have told Global News the Bishnoi gang is also believed to be linked to the murder of Surrey Gurdwara president and Khalistan independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. 'Given the terror that they are imposing on the South Asian community, with South Asian Canadians, they do meet the criminal code definition of a terrorist organization,' Conservative public safety critic and Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Frank Caputo told Global News. Story continues below advertisement 5:32 Growing calls to label Bishnoi gang a terrorist group B.C. Premier David Eby and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, along with the mayors of Surrey and Brampton, have already called on Ottawa to designate the gang a terrorist organization. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Caputo, a former Crown prosecutor, said putting the gang on the list would give law enforcement new tools to crack down on its activities. 'We're looking at three or four different implications here. One is with respect to property, you can seize the property of a terrorist organization and its associates,' he said. 'Financially, banks can then start freezing accounts and financial transactions. Criminal law, you're liable to a greater punishment; you are liable to punishment simply by virtue of participating in a terrorist organization. And then lastly, law enforcement will have access to additional resources.' Story continues below advertisement India's counterterrorism law enforcement agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), describes the group as a criminal gang headed by Lawrence Bishnoi, whose lawyer says he contests more than 40 cases accusing him of crimes such as murder and extortion. The NIA alleges he operates his 'terror-syndicate from jails in different states' in India and through an associate in Canada.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Morning Rush: Renewed calls for National Wildfire Agency
Ottawa Watch Bill Carroll from The Morning Rush shares his thoughts on renewed calls for a National Fire Administration and Agency.
