ISLAMABAD: The federal government has banned two more militant organizations, Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group (HGBG) and Majeed Brigade (MB), bringing the total number of banned organizations to 81.
With three more outlawed terrorist organizations, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) has revised its list of banned organizations. This year, the government has outlawed at least three terrorist organizations. On March 29, the Zainbiyoun Brigade was prohibited, becoming the first new group to be added to the list since August 2020.
According to Daily Dawn, which cited an official, the two organizations were outlawed on July 19 and July 25, respectively, after all of their operations were prohibited by Section 11-B-(1) and Schedule-1 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.
It is thought that HGBG has close ties to the banned TTP, which operates out of Afghanistan. The Bahadur Group militants have been connected to a number of high-profile attacks against security forces, such as the March 16 suicide strike that killed seven troops at a military installation in North Waziristan.
However, the Balochistan Liberation Army’s suicide squad is the banned Majeed Brigade, which has been in operation since 2011. The assault on a Gwadar port complex was attributed to the Majeed Brigade.
