CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Pakistan designated the Balochistan Liberation Army as a terrorist organization on 7 April 2006 after the group conducted a series of attacks targeting security personnel. On 17 July 2006, the British government followed suit, listing the BLA as a “proscribed group” based on the Terrorism Act 2000.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is an ethnonationalist militant organization, comprised mostly of Marri and Bugti tribe members, fighting against the Pakistani government for greater regional autonomy for the province of Balochistan.

Detailed explanation-3: -BACKGROUND. Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM)-also known as the Army of Mohammed, Khudamul Islam, and Tehrik ul-Furqaan among other names-is an extremist group based in Pakistan. It was founded by Masood Azhar in early 2000 upon his release from prison in India.

Detailed explanation-4: -Area of dispute. Historical Balochistan covers the southern part of the Iranian Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the west, the Pakistani province of Balochistan in the east, and, in the northwest, part of Afghanistan’s Helmand Province.

Detailed explanation-5: -As of 2023, the list consists of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria. Countries formerly on the list were Iraq, Libya, South Yemen, and Sudan.