Washington, D.C. | June 13, 2025— As Israel ramped up rhetoric and prepared for its surprise attack on Iran, a crucial development largely escaped international attention: the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, quietly launched the Balochistan Studies Project (BSP) on June 12. This strategic initiative, cloaked in academic rhetoric, signals a direct attempt by Israel to hijack the Balochistan national struggle and reshape it into a tool of regional destabilization aimed at Iran and Pakistan.
MEMRI explicitly stated that Balochistan, a resource-rich region spanning parts of Iran and Pakistan, provides an ideal outpost to “counter Iran, its nuclear ambitions, and its dangerous relations with Pakistan.” This declaration not only exposes Israel’s regional strategy but also highlights how the Balochistan national struggle is being manipulated to serve foreign geopolitical objectives.
Significantly, MEMRI emphasized the area’s wealth in natural resources oil, gas, copper, uranium, and rare earth elements as well as its geostrategic location near the deep seaports of Gwadar and Chabahar. Thus, beyond ideological posturing, the initiative clearly aligns with material and strategic interests.
A Dubious Persona and Manufactured Support
Further compounding concerns in Balochistan national struggle is the appointment of a controversial figure, Mir Yar Baloch, as a “special adviser” to the BSP. Although presented as a renowned Baloch scholar and political scientist, his identity remains shrouded in mystery. Indian media outlets have profiled him enthusiastically, but leading Baloch activists, including Niaz Baloch of the Baloch National Movement, have publicly discredited him.
Importantly, Niaz Baloch named Mir Yar Baloch among several fake accounts that should be reported and ignored. According to grassroots activists, there is no consensus among Baloch leadership for declaring independence. This casts serious doubts on MEMRI’s credibility and raises the possibility that Mir Yar Baloch is a manufactured persona potentially created to fabricate consent and public support.
Consequently, this move undermines authentic leadership within the Balochistan national struggle, causing internal divisions and external misrepresentation. Moreover, it raises questions about the legitimacy of MEMRI’s motives, given its founder Colonel Yigal Carmon’s long history with Israeli intelligence and MEMRI’s unofficial role in Israeli intelligence-gathering since 2012.
Undermining Stateless Solidarity Through Geopolitical Opportunism
While MEMRI projects Balochistan national struggle as a “natural ally of the West,” it conveniently omits the ongoing exploitation by Western corporations such as Barrick Gold and BHP Billiton. These companies have enabled decades of resource extraction and environmental destruction in the region. In this context, MEMRI’s selective narrative not only whitewashes colonial complicity but reframes the Balochistan national struggle as a Western security tool rather than a legitimate resistance movement.
Furthermore, the BSP appears designed to fragment stateless resistance across West Asia. By aligning with the Baloch cause under the banner of countering Iran and Pakistan, Israel aims to disrupt transnational alliances especially between Palestinians and other oppressed populations. The solidarity between these communities, rooted in shared experiences of marginalization and state violence, becomes vulnerable to manipulation.
Additionally, India’s support of Baloch separatism paired with its repression of Kashmiri resistance—demonstrates the selective nature of such geopolitical friendships. The presence of pro-Israel and pro-India voices like Mir Yar Baloch reflects a growing attempt to entrench a shared Indo-Israeli strategy in the region. Thus, the BSP symbolizes the convergence of Israeli and Indian interests in undermining Iranian and Pakistani legitimacy while eroding genuine anti-colonial solidarity movements.
From Geopolitical Strategy to Long-Term Anticolonial Principles
Historically, resistance movements that aligned solely through the lens of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” suffered long-term consequences. The PLO’s alliance with Saddam Hussein alienated other stateless groups, such as the Kurds, eventually allowing Israel to establish warm ties with the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq. Today, Iran’s crackdown on Baloch and Kurdish groups reflects similar fears namely, that these groups might align with Israel in a future confrontation.
Therefore, any geopolitical alliance that prioritizes short-term gains over principled struggle endangers the broader cause of justice. Stateless movements, including the Balochistan national struggle, must resist being co-opted into the power games of larger states whose interests are shaped not by liberation, but by control.
In conclusion, MEMRI’s launch of the BSP is more than just a new research initiative it is a calculated move by Israel to entrench influence in West Asia through the exploitation of local struggles. It is critical that those committed to the Balochistan national struggle maintain a principled, post-geopolitical stance, emphasizing solidarity over strategy and justice over opportunism. Only by doing so can they resist becoming pawns in a broader imperial game.
Also See : UK Signals Recognition of Palestine as an Independent State
