SYDNEY: 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 that BLA has conducted “violent terror attacks” across Pakistan, targeting civilians, critical infrastructure and foreign nationals, as well as the Pakistani state.
The Australian government’s commitment to countering terrorism and violent extremism is unwavering, she added.
According to Wong, sanctions help cut off the financial support of terrorists, making it harder for them to fund operations, recruit and spread their “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 that penalties for a breach of an Australian sanctions law include heavy fines and up to 10 years’ imprisonment. Australia’s counterterrorism sanctions are targeted, proportionate and designed to uphold international peace and security, she added.
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to sanction the militant group, involved in deadly attacks resulting in the martyrdom of civilians and security personnel. Australia’s announcement follows last year’s decision by the United States to formally designate the BLA and its militant faction, Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).
