Doha-In an Article in Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/7/25/israel-is-trying-to-hijack-the-baloch-struggle,
Moaswes drew attention to the launch of the Balochistan Studies Project (BSP) by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) — a Washington-based think tank — as evidence of foreign meddling in the Baloch movement.
According to MEMRI’s June 12 announcement, the BSP aims to monitor regional developments in Balochistan, calling it “the perfect outpost to counter and keep under control Iran, its nuclear ambitions, and its relations with Pakistan.”
Moaswes criticized the initiative as an extension of MEMRI’s longstanding pro-Israel agenda. Founded in 1998 by Colonel Yigal Carmon, a former Israeli military intelligence officer, MEMRI has been accused of selectively translating Arabic, Persian, and Turkish media content to bolster pro-Israel narratives in the West. Some reports have linked the organization to unofficial intelligence activities on behalf of Israel since at least 2012.
Viewed in this light, the BSP is being interpreted as part of a wider Israeli effort to exploit secessionist movements in South Asia — especially those undermining the territorial integrity of Iran and Pakistan.
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“The portrayal of Balochistan as a natural Western ally, while ignoring the exploitative role of Western corporations in the region’s resource extraction and environmental degradation, reveals the neocolonial nature of the project,” Moaswes wrote.
The BSP has also introduced Mir Yar Baloch, a self-described political analyst and social media figure, as a “special adviser” to the initiative. In May 2025, he made headlines by unilaterally declaring Balochistan’s independence on X (formerly Twitter) and voicing strong support for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He further claimed that 60 million Baloch people backed India’s military campaign — Operation Sindoor — against Pakistan.
Observers believe these developments reflect an Israeli attempt to formally engage Baloch separatists, seeking to establish long-term leverage in strategically sensitive regions where both Iranian and Pakistani state control faces internal and external challenges. Israel’s expanding ties with India are seen as a key backdrop to this maneuver.