Israel is trying to hijack the Baloch struggle

This article reveals how Israel, under the guise of geopolitical strategy is attempting to hijack the Baloch liberation movement for its own ends. The article reveals that a Washington-based think tank MEMRI, which has deep roots in Israeli intelligence, launched the Balochistan Studies Project (BSP) shortly before Israel’s surprise attack on Iran. This so-called research initiative paints Balochistan as a strategic counterweight to Iran and Pakistan, emphasizing its natural wealth and geostrategic ports. Yet, behind this academic smokescreen lies a clear agenda: using Balochistan to gain regional leverage while undermining solidarity among stateless peoples. What’s more, the BSP’s so-called experts, like the mysterious Mir Yar Baloch, seem like convenient mouthpieces. His proclamations of independence and praise for India and Israel are suspiciously amplified by Indian media while actual Baloch activists label him a fraud. This project isn’t about liberation—it’s about exploitation.

Digging deeper, the article calls out how Israel’s strategic outreach to Baloch groups is neither accidental nor benign. It’s a calculated attempt to carve influence in West Asia, especially by pairing up with India, a country that already champions the Baloch cause to needle Pakistan. The BSP works as a platform for Indian-Israeli synergy to shape narratives, weaken Iran, and suppress cross-border solidarity between the Baloch and other oppressed groups like Palestinians and Kashmiris. The author warns against resistance movements falling into the trap of “my enemy’s enemy is my friend,” showing how past alliances, like the PLO’s support for Saddam, backfired. Instead, the piece champions a post-geopolitical, principle-driven approach one that doesn’t sell its soul for short-term gain. Stateless peoples, the author argues, must build coalitions rooted in justice, not in the shaky hands of self-serving nation-states.

Overview:

The article exposes how Israel, through MEMRI’s Balochistan Studies Project, is manipulating the Baloch nationalist struggle to serve its regional objectives. It dissects how this move, intertwined with Indian strategic interests, risks fragmenting solidarity among oppressed groups. The author urges liberation movements to move beyond opportunistic geopolitics and instead form alliances rooted in anti-colonial principles and long-term justice.

NOTES:

The article highlights how Israel under the façade of academic research is attempting to hijack the Baloch nationalist movement to act its own geopolitical interests. It centers around the launch of the Balochistan Studies Project (BSP) by the Washington-based think tank MEMRI, which has close ties to Israeli intelligence. This project paints Balochistan a resource-rich and geopolitically significant region shared by Pakistan and Iran as an ideal outpost to monitor and counter both countries. The author dissects how figures like the shadowy Mir Yar Baloch are being propped up in Indian media as representatives of the Baloch cause, despite being discredited by actual Baloch activists. These efforts by MEMRI are seen as part of a broader Israeli-Indian strategy to manipulate stateless struggles and undermine solidarity among oppressed peoples, including Palestinians and Kashmiris. The article warns that elevating geopolitics above principle risks repeating historical mistakes and alienating genuine resistance movements. Instead, it advocates for a post-geopolitical, justice-centered approach to building long-term, principled alliances that are not co-opted by self-serving state agendas.

Relevant CSS syllabus or subjects:

• Pakistan Affairs: Regional dynamics and Pakistan’s geopolitical vulnerabilities
• International Relations: Proxy warfare, soft power, geopolitical exploitation
• Current Affairs: Israel-Iran-Pakistan relations, media and intelligence influence
• Political Science: State behavior, realpolitik vs idealism in resistance movements
• Essay Paper: Anticolonialism, transnational solidarity, modern diplomacy

Notes for Beginners:

Israel, through a think tank called MEMRI has launched a new “research” project on Balochistan that looks more like a political weapon than an academic study. MEMRI claim Balochistan could be used to watch over Iran and Pakistan, especially because of its rich resources like oil, gas, and access to seaports like Gwadar. But the real goal that the author argues is to use the Baloch cause to serve Israel’s and India’s interests. For example, a mysterious figure named Mir Yar Baloch popped up online, declared independence for Balochistan praised Modi and gained traction only through Indian media. Real Baloch activists, however, say he’s fake and warn others to avoid him. This shows how easily fake news and state propaganda can hijack freedom movements.

Facts and Figures:

• MEMRI was founded in 1998 and is tied to Israeli intelligence
• Balochistan spans both Pakistan and Iran, and both face insurgency there
• Gwadar and Chabahar are key deep-sea ports in the region
• Over 60 million Baloch people reportedly support independence, according to Mir Yar Baloch (a claim disputed by actual Baloch leaders)
• The article was published a day before Israel’s surprise attack on Iran in July 2025
• MEMRI has a long history of pushing pro-Israel content through selective translation

To sum up, this article suggests that what appears as a well-packaged research initiative is, at its core a geopolitical sleight of hand. It challenges us to ask: who’s really pulling the strings in freedom struggles? And at what cost? For CSS aspirants, it’s a reminder that in global politics, the loudest voices often mask the deepest manipulations. True resistance, as the author makes clear, isn’t about choosing allies out of convenience it’s about standing firm on principle, even when the winds of power blow the other way.

Difficult Words and Meanings:

1. Co-opt – To take over or appropriate for one’s own use

Synonym: Hijack | Antonym: Surrender

2. Geopolitical – Related to politics influenced by geography

Synonym: Strategic | Antonym: Apolitical

3. Counterinsurgency – Military or political action against rebellion

Synonym: Suppression | Antonym: Uprising

4. Delegitimise – Undermine or attack the validity of something

Synonym: Discredit | Antonym: Authenticate