Response
ISLAMABAD: Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has once again ignitedcontroversy by declaring that the Iranian regime is “in trouble” and thatits decision to allegedly bring in foreign mercenaries represents its “lastbest hope” for survival. In a widely circulated social media post datedearly January 2026, Pompeo pointed to ongoing riots in dozens of Iraniancities including Mashhad, Tehran and Zahedan, described the Basijparamilitary force as being “under siege”, and dramatically predicted thatthe “next stop” of unrest would be Iran’s southeastern province ofBaluchistan — a region that directly borders Pakistan’s restive Balochistanprovince. The statement immediately drew sharp criticism from Pakistan,most notably from Brigadier (Retd) Ashfaq Hussain, a respected formermilitary officer and defence commentator, who described the remarks as“very dangerous” and a direct affront to Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Brigadier Hussain’s reaction, which gained significant traction onPakistani social media and defence-oriented circles, focused on theexplicit naming of Balochistan as the supposed next theatre of instability.Security analysts note that any public linkage of internal Iraniandisturbances to Pakistan’s largest — and historically most insurgency-prone— province is considered highly sensitive in Islamabad. The Pakistanmilitary and successive civilian governments have consistently maintainedthat external actors frequently attempt to internationalise Pakistan’sinternal security challenges in Balochistan for geopolitical purposes. TheBrigadier’s unusually direct language therefore reflects deep institutionalconcern that Pompeo’s statement could be interpreted as providingintellectual cover for future destabilisation narratives targeting Pakistan.
The current wave of protests in Iran — which according to multiplemonitoring organisations has continued intermittently since the major 2022Mahsa Amini-related unrest — has shown particular intensity in ethnicminority regions. Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province, haswitnessed recurring Friday demonstrations that frequently turn violent,often described locally as the “Bloody Fridays” phenomenon. Independenthuman rights groups report that more than 130 people were killed in asingle incident in Zahedan in September 2022, an event that continues toshape local memory and mobilisation. The Iranian authorities haveconsistently accused “foreign elements” and “separatist groups” oforchestrating the violence, while opposition figures maintain that theprotests represent genuine grassroots anger against economic hardship,political repression and perceived sectarian discrimination against theSunni Baluch community.
Pompeo’s reference to the “47 years of this regime; POTUS 47” appears to bea pointed allusion to the Islamic Republic’s longevity (establishedFebruary 1979) coinciding with the hypothetical 47th President of theUnited States — a numerical symmetry that has been interpreted by manyobservers as a barely veiled call for regime change in Tehran. Addingfurther fuel to the controversy, Pompeo’s closing salutation wishing “HappyNew Year to every Iranian in the streets” together with “every Mossad agentwalking beside them” has been widely read as an implicit endorsement ofIsraeli intelligence operations inside Iran. Such language, coming from aformer holder of one of the highest national security offices in the UnitedStates, carries exceptional diplomatic weight and has been condemned byIranian official media as proof of continuing American-Israeli hybridwarfare against the Islamic Republic.
Pakistan’s official response has remained measured at the diplomatic level.The Foreign Office has not issued a formal statement directly addressingPompeo’s post. However, defence and strategic circles in Islamabad view theformer Secretary of State’s remarks as part of a broader pattern ofstatements that indirectly internationalise the Balochistan question.Several analysts have recalled that similar concerns were raised in2019-2020 when American officials and think-tanks began frequentlymentioning the “Baloch corridor” in the context of China-Pakistan EconomicCorridor security challenges. The current episode therefore fits into alonger pattern of anxiety about external powers attempting to create astrategic linkage between unrest in Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan andPakistan’s own Balochistan province.
Iranian state media and semi-official outlets have predictably portrayedPompeo’s intervention as evidence of continuing “maximum pressure” policyremnants from the Trump era. Tehran has long argued that the United States,Israel and certain Gulf states maintain support networks for separatistgroups operating along the Iran-Pakistan-Afghanistan tri-border region. TheIslamic Republic has repeatedly requested greater security cooperation fromPakistan to curb cross-border movement of militants belonging to groupssuch as Jaish al-Adl. Pakistani authorities, while acknowledging theexistence of low-level militant activity, have generally emphasised thatthe primary drivers of instability in Balochistan remain domesticsocio-economic grievances rather than external orchestration.
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The exchange illustrates the extreme delicacy of the security environmentalong the 909-kilometre Iran-Pakistan border. Any suggestion — evenrhetorical — that unrest could “jump” from Iranian soil into Pakistaniterritory is immediately perceived in Islamabad as a potential precursor torenewed international pressure on Pakistan’s handling of its Balochistanpolicy. In this context, Brigadier Hussain’s prompt and forceful rebuttalserves both as a public signalling of red lines and as an attempt topre-emptively shape the narrative before more influential internationalvoices potentially pick up the same theme.
Source: https://www.dawn.com
Tags: Iran, Pakistan, Balochistan, Mike Pompeo, Brigadier Ashfaq Hussain
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