[Balochistan's strategic energy reserves have a bearing on the separatist
agenda. Following a familiar pattern, there are indications that the Baloch
insurgency is being supported and abetted by Britain and the US.--Michel
Chossudovsky, "The Destabilization
of Pakistan," Centre for Research on Globalisation, December 30,
2007]
[Question: From your comments it appears that Balach and Mengal are heading
the resurrected BLA and the BLA has been revived by the Americans and
Russians to create trouble in Balochistan but could you give us any coherent
reasons for going to such great lengths for disturbing Pakistan that is
supposed to be a frontline ally of the United States on its war against
terrorism?
Misha and Sasha: Frontline ally? Are you kidding? Americans are using
Pakistan and Pakistanis would soon find it out if they have not already.
Americans don't need that kind of allies and they have made it abundantly
clear for anyone who can read their policy goals correctly. Let them deal
with Iran and you would see. If there can be any desirable American ally in
that region, that is Iran - Iran under a different regime, and they are
working to that end. Except for Balochistan, the rest of Pakistan is useless
for them.--Tariq Saeedi et al, "Unveiling the Mystery of Balochistan
Insurgency," pakalert, February 6, 2009]
[India needs energy, and the natural source is Iran. And, in fact, they're
discussing an Iran-to-India pipeline. But if you could get natural gas
flowing from Central Asia to India, avoiding Iran, that would support the US
policy,--"Noam
Chomsky on US Expansion of Afghan Occupation, the Uses of NATO,"
democracynow.org, April 3, 2009]
[An immense desert comprising almost 48% of Pakistan's area, rich in uranium
and copper, potentially very rich in oil, and producing more than one-third
of Pakistan's natural gas, it accounts for less than 4% of Pakistan's 173
million citizens. . . .
Strategically, Balochistan is mouth-watering: east of Iran, south of
Afghanistan, and boasting three Arabian sea ports, including Gwadar,
practically at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz.
Gwadar - a port built by China - is the absolute key. It is the essential
node in the crucial, ongoing, and still virtual Pipelineistan war between
IPI and TAPI. IPI is the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline, also known as the
"peace pipeline", which is planned to cross from Iranian to Pakistani
Balochistan - an anathema to Washington. TAPI is the perennially troubled,
US-backed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline, which is planned
to cross western Afghanistan via Herat and branch out to Kandahar and
Gwadar.--Pepe Escobar, "Balochistan
is the ultimate prize," Asia Times, May 9, 2009]
[So whoever "wins" Balochistan incorporates Pakistan as a key transit
corridor to either Iranian gas from the monster South Pars field or a great
deal of the Caspian wealth of "gas republic" Turkmenistan.--Robert
D. Crane, "Baluchistan: Pivot of Asia,
Revisited," theamericanmuslim.org, May 9, 2009]
[Now that's as classic as the New Great Game in Eurasia can get. There's
NATO vs the SCO. With either IPI or TAPI, Turkmenistan wins. With either IPI
or TAPI, Russia loses. With either IPI or TAPI, Pakistan wins. With TAPI,
Iran loses. With IPI, Afghanistan loses. In the end, however, as in any game
of high stakes Pipelineistan poker, it all comes down to the top two global
players. Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets: will the winner be
Washington or Beijing?--Pepe Escobar, "Pipelineistan
goes Af-Pak," Asia Times, May 14, 2009]
Jason Ditz, "Baloch Separatist Group Stopped Getting al-Qaeda Aid in
2003, Then Started Getting US Aid," antiwar.com, August 25, 2009
[CIA's mouthpieces in the US media and the Web have been activated to give
maximum punch to US threats of bombing Quetta and convincing the
international public opinion of the veracity of US intelligence on the
presence of Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden in Balochistan.--Ahmed Quraishi,"US strikes
will 'impact' Pak military," Nation, October 3, 2009]
[Jundallah is a Baloch separatist group which operates on both the Iranian
and Pakistani sides of the border. The group, which once boasted of ties
with al-Qaeda, has been supported by the United States since at least
2005.--Jason Ditz, "Six Iranian Commanders Among 49 Killed in Suicide Bombing:
US-Backed Jundallah Reportedly Claims Credit," Guardian, October 18,
2009]
Robert Tait and Mark Tran, "Iran blames Pakistan and west for deadly suicide bombing,"
Guardian, October 19, 2009
[ . . . there is ample evidence that the George W. Bush administration was
deeply involved in funding Jundallah. . . .
Since the 1990s, the U.S. has supported the construction of a pipeline from
Central Asia through Afghanistan to Pakistan and the Indian Ocean, in order
to transport natural gas from that region to international markets. . . .
But Iran and Pakistan have signed an agreement to construct a pipeline from
southern Iran to Pakistan for transporting Iran's natural gas to
Pakistan.--Muhammad Sahimi, "Jundallah and the Geopolitics of
Energy," antiwar.com, October 20, 2009]
[Pakistan, which like its neighbor India has a nuclear arsenal and is not a
signatory to the NPT, has long been rankled by India's deal, wanting one of
its own with the US. . . .
There will be a price: the US, according to analysts who spoke to Asia Times
Online, wants Pakistan to walk away from the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline
project.--Syed Fazl-e-Haider, "US dangles
Pakistan a carrot," Guardian, March 26, 2010]
[Despite opposition from the US, Pakistan signed an agreement with Iran on
June 13 to go ahead with a $US7.6 billion gas pipeline between the two
countries that will provide a desperately-needed supply of energy to
Pakistan from 2014. The deal cuts across Washington's efforts to isolate
Iran economically through UN Security Council sanctions and its own
unilateral penalties against Tehran's nuclear programs.--Sarath Kumara, "US opposes
Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline," wsws.org, July 9, 2010]
Mark Perry, "False
Flag: A series of CIA memos describes how Israeli Mossad agents posed as American spies
to recruit members of the terrorist organization Jundallah to fight their covert war
against Iran," foreignpolicy.com, January 13, 2012
[The hearing, headed by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) focused on questions
of human rights abuses in Pakistan's largest province, but also brought
renewed attention to calls by Rep. Rohrabacher and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
for the US to impose independence on Balochistan.--Jason
Ditz, "Pakistan: US Balochistan Hearing
'Meddling'," antiwar.com, February 13, 2012]
Farrukh Saleem, "CIA
carving out new role in Balochistan," thenews.com.pk, February 27, 2012
Jason Ditz, "125
Killed in Pakistan Bombings," antiwar.com, January 10, 2013
Abdul Sattar and Riaz Khan, "Thousands of Shiites Protest 89 Killed in
Pakistan," abcnews.go.com, February 17, 2013
Tony Cartalucci, "Baluchistan, Target of
Western geopolitical interests, Terror wave coincides with Gwadar Port
handover to China," globalresearch.ca, February 18, 2013