Israel’s Strategic Expansion through Balochistan
Resource Politics and Separatist Exploitation
Along with mentioning Balochistan’s significant natural resources such as uranium, coal, copper, oil, gas, rare earth minerals and the regions two most significant deep seaports of Chahbahar and Gwadar, the organization has also identified the region as “the perfect outpost to counter and keep under control Iran, its nuclear ambitions, and its dangerous relations with Pakistan, which may provide Tehran with tactical nukes” – in a statement justifying the necessity of the project. Israel is known for its rivalry with Iran, due to the latter’s unwavering support for proxy groups fighting against Israeli war crimes in the region.
Israel also hosts hostile designs towards Pakistan, as the latter is the sole nuclear power of the Muslim world. The Zionist state has always been against Pakistan’s nuclear program. The destruction of the latter’s nuclear program has always been on Israel’s to-do list. In an interview, while answering a question about the most significant threat to the upcoming Zionist generation, the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, “So the greatest mission that we have is to prevent a militant Islamic regime from meeting up with nuclear weapons or from nuclear weapons meeting up with the militant Islamic regime, the first is called Iran, the second is called Pakistan because if these radical regimes have nuclear weapons, they will not obey the rules.”
Several Israeli journalists, politicians, scholars, and high-ranking military officials have repeatedly declared Pakistan a threat to Israel’s existence. In the late 1970s, Israel even drafted a plan to bomb Pakistan’s nuclear facilities. However, Pakistani intelligence effectively foiled this plan, and the regional ally of the Zionist state backed off from this plan. Since then, Israel has been critical of Pakistan’s nuclear program despite its being a nuclear power. Pakistan and Iran’s alliance with China and their inclusion in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have further increased Israel and its Western allies’ antagonisms towards the two nations. Both states are home to the region’s two most significant deep-seaports, Chahbahar and Gwadar, increasing their geopolitical and geostrategic importance. Their mutual rivalry towards Israel has strengthened bilateral relations between Pakistan and Iran, further intensifying the regional threat against Israel. Therefore, destabilizing the region is one of the top priorities of Israel and its Western allies.
Destabilization in the Guise of Human Rights
Pakistan emerged as the strongest supporter of Iran during the recent Iran-Israel war. The Iranian Parliament officially thanked Islamabad for its unwavering diplomatic support to Tehran during this war. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s recent visit to Pakistan also highlighted the cementing of relations between the two Muslim powers. Both Iran and Pakistan share the Balochistan province and have been fighting insurgencies for years. The separatist movements, funded by regional and global rivals of Pakistan and Iran, seek to destabilize the two countries through terrorism and violence.
Israel seeks to use these separatist movements to achieve its regional geopolitical ambitions. Through the BSP project, MEMRI seeks to co-opt the Baloch separatist movement against its two most significant rivals in the Muslim world, Pakistan and Iran. By forging cordial relations with these insurgent groups, Israel could gain multiple advantages. It could destabilize Pakistan and Iran by supporting these groups financially and militarily. It also seeks to weaken the support of Palestinians by these groups. The province is a resource hub, containing key materials vital for energy production and advanced technologies. These minerals can help the two countries strengthen their stagnant economies.
Israel seeks to destabilize the region to prevent the two countries from leveraging the economic potential of the region. Israel’s international image has been shattered due to its human rights violations and war crimes in Gaza. Through the BSP program, Israel seeks to restore its reputation by supporting these separatist movements under the veneer of human rights protection. Moreover, Israel seeks to draw parallels between Israeli war crimes in Palestinian territory and the counterinsurgency operations in the two South Asian countries against the Baloch separatists. In addition, supporting such groups will increase Israel’s proximity to Pakistan’s regional rival. However, aiding these groups may further inflame tensions and destabilize the broader region.
Аbbas Hashemite – is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues. He is currently working as an independent researcher and journalist
