the western imperialist powers have an obvious interest in preventing a stable balochistan from...

7/31/2019 The Western Imperialist Powers Have an Obvious Interest in Preventing a Stable Balochistan From Emerging

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Balochistan - Crossroads of Another US Proxy War?

6 ul 2012

Eric Draitser: Balochistan - Crossroads of Another USProxy War?

URL of this article:

www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=31703

Eric Draitser is a frequent contributor to Global Research.Global Research Articles by Eric Draitser

The current unrest in Balochistan centers around forced disappearances,kidnappings, targeted killings, assassinations and terrorism. However, these are

merely the tactics of a much broader, more geopolitically complex war in which

the United States and its Western allies are engaged. Though seeminglyinsignificant against the backdrop of all the regional and international crises

affecting our world, Balochistan is, in fact, a nexus: the point at which

diametrically opposing strategic interests converge.

The United States views Balochistan, an area that encompasses western Pakistan,eastern Iran, and a piece of southern Afghanistan, as critical to the maintenance ofUS hegemony in the Middle East and Central and South Asia. Conversely, Chinaregards the region as necessary for its own economic and political evolution into aworld superpower. Seen in this way, Balochistan becomes central to thedevelopment of geopolitical power in the 21st Century.

Balochistan's Strategic Location

Balochistan is located in one of the most geographically and politically significantplaces anywhere in the world. Not only does the region sit astride three countrieswhich have become central to Western political and military power projection, it isalso central to the development and export of energy from Central Asia, access tothe Indian Ocean, and a host of other geopolitical imperatives for both the Westand the SCO/BRICS countries. Because of this, the region has grownexponentially in importance to all the major powers of the world.

Though the land seems, on the surface, to be inhospitable, it also holds greatwealth just beneath the soil. Aside from what is believed to be a large quantity of

natural gas and/or oil, the earth under the feet of the Baloch people holds vastquantities of minerals necessary for economic development. Because of this, theconflict raging in the region takes on the added dimension of being a resource war,on top of a geographical and political one.

Balochistans location has another crucial element that makes it geopoliticallynecessary: it sits at the crossroads of the most important trade routes between Westand East. Although, in the public mind, trade crossroads seem to be a thing of the


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past (one might imagine the Silk Road being traveled by camel), in fact, they areessential to development. Land-based trade, something the Chinese understand to

be a linchpin of their economic and political evolution into a superpower, isimpossible without a stable and dependable Balochistan, and this is precisely whatthe United States and the West seeks to prevent.

This focus on land-based access to trade should always be seen in the context ofenergy. Chinas insatiable thirst for oil and gas makes the development of

pipelines from Central Asia, Iran, and elsewhere invaluable to them. The Iran-Pakistan pipeline, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline,and other projects all serve to increase the importance of Balochistan in the eyes ofthe Chinese. Additionally, the Chinese-funded, Pakistani Gwadar Port is theaccess point for Chinese commercial shipping to the Indian Ocean and on toAfrica. With all of this as a backdrop, one can begin to see just why Balochistanis so significant to the Chinese and, conversely, why the United States and its

Western puppets seek to destabilize it.Western Subversion and Destabilization

The Western imperialist powers have an obvious interest in preventing a stableBalochistan from emerging. Not only is the region essential to the Chinese, it isalso a major part of the covert war being waged against both Iran and Pakistan.Terrorist groups with direct and indirect links to Western intelligence agenciesoperate with impunity in Balochistan, a vast area that is nearly impossible to

police. The Pakistani government is not oblivious to the fact that foreignintelligence agencies are behind much of the violence in Balochistan, a fact that

was even stated publicly by former President Musharraf. In fact, Islamabad,though they cannot state it publicly, is aware that its survival rests on the ability toquell the unrest in Balochistan, which in turn means they must effectively combatthe foreign-controlled separatism.

In an article published by the Qatari English-language newspaper The Peninsula,the author cited credible sources as saying that the CIA is indulging in heavyrecruitment of local people as agents (each being paid $500 a month).Additionally we know that the CIA, under the leadership of Gen. Petraeus, has

been using Afghan refugees to destabilize Balochistan. The significance of theserevelations should not be understated. The fact that the CIA is recruiting agents

and informants throughout Balochistan indicates that the US strategy ofsubversion is multi-faceted. On the one hand, a network of agents allows forintelligence and information manipulation while, on the other hand, the UnitedStates engages in terrorism through a variety of terrorist groups it controls ormanipulates either directly or indirectly. As was reported in Foreign Policymagazine, the CIA and Mossad compete to control Jundallah, an important fact

because it shows the way in which the Western imperialists use Balochistan, the


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base of Jundallah, to wage covert war on Iran, including the assassination ofscientists, terrorist bombings aimed at critical infrastructure, and targeted killingsof ethnic minorities.

Aside from Jundallah, the CIA and its counterparts (MI6, Mossad, and Indias

RAW) are actively engaged in the handling and manipulation of a variety of otherterror groups operating in Balochistan. The Baloch Liberation Army, headed byBrahamdagh Bugti and others, has long-standing ties with British MI6 going allthe way back to the early days of Pakistans independence. This group isresponsible for countless terrorist actions in the region, all of which have beenaimed at innocent civilians. This, and other groups like it, illustrates the way inwhich the United States and its allies use the weapon of terrorism to create chaosfor the purpose of destabilizing Balochistan, thereby preventing economicdevelopment both for the Balochi people and, by extension, China.

Political Sabotage

The tactics of subversion are not limited to terrorism and espionage inBalochistan. One of the most critical dimensions of this issue is the use of

political destabilization through the US Congress. Lawmakers such asRepresentative Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA), who himself has led the anti-Pakistancharge, have argued vigorously for the right of self-determination of the peopleof Balochistan. Of course, what he means by this is that he, and others who havea vested interest in the issue, support separatism and the destruction of modernPakistan. In so doing, Rohrbacher and other members of the Congress act, as theyalways do, as apologists and facilitators of the US imperial strategy of dividing

nations in order to control them. Rohrbacher, who himself has long-standing tiesto Al-Qaeda (former mujahideen) fighters, is a vociferous proponent of a fiercelyanti-Pakistan agenda, one which treats that nation as a threat to the United States.

Naturally, the only threat Pakistan truly poses is that, in the course of thedevelopment of China, Pakistan has chosen to be on the side of economicdevelopment, rather than allow itself to be perpetually subjugated to the will of theUnited States.

The resolution introduced by Rohrbacher, who is the chairman of the HouseForeign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, called for the USto support Baloch separatism and end relations with the democratically elected

government in Islamabad. He has repeatedly issued threats and other provocationswhich have been correctly interpreted by the Pakistani government as meddling intheir internal affairs. The goal of these resolutions and provocations has been tomake the case, both politically and in the court of public opinion, that Pakistan is aterrorist state which, because of the twisted logic of the American people, meansthat the US should be able to do whatever it wants to them.


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natural resources including oil, uranium, copper and gold etc that worth

hundreds of billions of dollars making it one of the worlds potentially

richest regions. The completion of Gawadar Port with the assistance of

China has also magnificently increased the importance of Balochistan in the

eyes of those wanting to keep their hegemony in the region. Pakistan will

surely want it to become a major trading port that will compete with Irans

Chabahar port.

Chinas primary motivation for building the port was to create a base that

could be used to pump gas through a very long pipeline to China in the

north. The United States on the other hand, is quite keen in Gwadars deep-

sea port, especially as its seen as something they could benefit

commercially from. US would want Gawadar to become the next Dubai,

which could also serve as a strategic base for the United States navy that

already runs an airbase in Jacobabad, as well as a commercial port to trade

oil, sidelining Irans importance within the region.

The United States has been a strong advocate for TAPI, advising Pakistan to

initiate the pipeline agreement, which would run an oil pipeline starting in

Tajikistan and take it all the way to India. This pipeline would run through

Baluchistan, and the United States believes that Baluchistan via Gwadar

could be used to transport goods and equipment for their troops stationed

primarily in Afghanistan. Pakistan has huge leverage over the United States

with the Khyber Pass. Gwadar could potentially give the US an alternative

route into south Afghanistan. The United States also runs covert operations

in Baluchistan which they have denied against Iran. Even if Baluchistan

were to break up from Pakistan, the United States would vigorously push

forward in obtaining access to natural resources in the region. However, it is

in the United States interest that Pakistan remains intact and Baluchistan

remains only a province.

For China, Baluchistans cessation from Pakistan would be a disaster,

especially after all the efforts and funds they have put into Gwadar. Gwadar

is exactly what China needs a route to the Arabian Sea, and another venue


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capable of supplying the country with oil in an age where there is a growing

need for it. Considering China and Russia are already being scrutinized for

their reliance on Iranian oil (China does not want to depend on American

backed Saudi oil), a supply route straight from an ally is probably the best

option for them right now. There is also heavy speculation that the Pentagon

worried at the prospect of Gwadar becoming a naval base for the Chinese,

especially since this could threaten their supply of oil from the Persian Gulf.

The BLA is also targeting many Chinese workers in Baluchistan, and there

is almost no way that Pakistan can effectively guarantee their security

without creating more military cantonments in the province. Seemingly,

Chinas best option now is to try and assist Pakistan in creating schools and

higher institutions for educating the Baloch. China whole-heartedly believes

that Gwadar can overtake Irans Chahbar port, and will be welcoming its

speedy development.

India is also an interested party and has some nefarious designs of their own

in terms of covert operations in Baluchistan firstly because India has really

never accepted Pakistan as an independent sovereign nation, and would to

go to any extent to disintegrate it once again. Secondly India does not have

any natural gas reserves the majority of gas it does export comes from Iran.

The completion of the Zaranaj-Delaram highway in southwestern

Afghanistan though clearly shows Indias intent in creating better political

and economic relations with CARs.

Gwadar also does worry India on a few fronts though. First off, from a

military point of view, Gwadar gives Pakistans navy a strategic advantage

and will arouse as one of several naval bases that are to be set up to create a

larger and better-defended presence of the Pakistan navy in the Indian ocean.

Secondly, Gwadar is a connecting point to warm water for Pakistan in its

attempts to create better relations with CARs. The port-city can also help

increase its influence in Afghanistan which is something Pakistan will

undoubtedly welcome. Already being a member of the Economic

Cooperation Organization since 1985, Pakistan will also want to also


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Baluchistan becomes and remains an integral and united province under onecountry.

Foreign hand behind unrest in Balochistan, PCNS told

* Chiefs of ISI, FC brief committee on Balochistan situation

* FC IG denies custody of any missing person By Ijaz

Kakakhel ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS)was told on Tuesday that Balochistans law and order situation was worsening and therewas strong evidence of foreign elements involvement in it, sources told DailyTimes. The PCNS meeting was held at Parliament House under Senator Mian RazaRabbani. It particularly discussed the issue of missing persons in Balochistan. Thecommittee was informed that 69 missing persons had been traced, adding that 23 of themwere found dead. Some other missing people could not be traced, the PCNS wastold. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lieutenant General ZaheerulIslam and officials from other intelligence agencies briefed the committee. Theyapprised lawmakers about steps being taken by the authorities concerned for the recoveryof missing persons. The sources said that the ISI DG also informed the committee aboutthe deplorable law and order situation in Balochistan. Speaking to reporters after themeeting, PCNS Chairman Raza Rabbani said proper legislation was on the cards on partof the government regarding missing persons across the country. He said the committeewould prepare and forward its recommendation in the legislation process. He also saidthat foreign hands were involved in the Balochistan unrest. Frontier Corps (FC)Inspector General Major General Nadir Zaib and the Balochistan home secretary alsobriefed the committee. Zaib told the committee that all missing persons had gone toAfghanistan and no one was in the FCs custody, a participant of the meeting told DailyTimes. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Zaib said that suggestions on how tosolve the missing persons issue had been submitted to the government and it was nowtheir responsibility to work on them and solve the issue. According to the sources, thecommittee was also informed that Laskhar-e-Tayyaba and Jundullah were involved insectarian violence in Balochistan. Meanwhile, the committee did not allow InteriorSecretary Siddiq Akbar to attend the meeting after he arrived late for the briefing. Thecommittee directed the staff not to open the door of committee room when Akbar arrivedabout 20 to 25 minutes late for the briefing.

CIA carving out new role

Farrukh Saleem

Thursday, February 23, 2012


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ISLAMABAD: The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), led by David Petraeus the

former Commander, US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A), has a strategic,

multidimensional interest in Balochistan, Pakistans largest province. In March

2011, The Peninsula, Qatars leading English language daily, revealed that the CIAis indulging in heavy recruitment of local people as agents (each being paid $500 a

month) in Balochistan to locate members of the Quetta Shura, a term used by the

Americans for Mullah Omar-led Taliban commanders.

Over the long term, the CIA has an interest in keeping the strategically important Port ofGwadar out of Chinas influence. Over the short to medium term, the CIA also has aninterest in supporting Jundallah, also known as Peoples Resistance Movement of Iran(PRMI), a violent organization that claims to be fighting for the rights of Sunni Muslimsin Iran.

David Petraeus is now bent upon carving out an additional role for the CIA-one that ofbecoming a mediator between the Baloch Ajoee Lashkar, the Baloch Liberation Front,the Baloch Awami Azadi Mahaiz, the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and theBalochistan Liberation United Front all on one side and the Pakistan Army on the other.If the CIA is successful in capturing the mediators role in the Balochistan conflict, theCIA will gain additional leverage over the ISI and thus an upper hand in the Afghanendgame.

As things stand right now Baloch belligerents are not even willing to sit across the tableand negotiate a ceasefire. What the CIA has going in its favor is the massive andgrowing-trust deficit between Baloch militants and the generals of the Pakistan Army.

The eventual settlement would have to be negotiated on the negotiating table but the CIAis hopping that they will have a role to play as a mediator-cum-guarantor.

Disintegration of a state is a rare phenomenon. Disintegration of Pakistan is neither in theinterest of international powers nor are they really capable of affecting a split at thisstage. Bangladesh isnt a parallel because Balochistan is a contagious province andBalochistan on its own will not be an economically feasible entity. Time, however, is ofessence. India is playing spoiler and things are getting from bad to worse.

CIA using Afghan refugees to destabilize Balochistan


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By Ahmed Rayyan - Mar 24th, 2012 (13 Comments)

Quetta: United States Central Intelligence Agency is using Afghan refugees in

destabilizing Balochistan, alleged a former Pakistan minister and ruling Peoples

Party member of National Assembly.

Pakistan should link restoration of NATO supply to Afghanistan via Pakistan with ending

CIA involvement in Balochistans destabilizing activities, Mir Humayon Aziz Kurd said

in an interview to a local daily.

Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan by area, is badly hit by lawlessness in the

province with people of Punjab and Pushtoon origins are being killed to evacuate the

province.

Humayon Kurd viewed that CIA was behind killing of Punjaib and Pushtoon people

living in the area for decades.

It is using Afghan refugees to kill them. The government should either send these

refugees back or restrict them to their camps.He made an interesting note about Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani,

known for his witty remarks.

His position is no more than a mayor of a small district. He has not authority and we

accept that provincial government is entirely non-functional.

PPP MNA termed former president Pervez Musharraf responsible for giving freehand to

CIA and other US officials.


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They were allowed to move freely in the province and presently their direct

interferences has acceded all limits.

It may be pointed out that a bill is presented in US congress to support separation of

Balochistan from Pakistan triggering a countrywide protest in Pakistan.

Presenting recommendations on bringing peace in the province, Humayon Kurd was of

view to remove Frontier Constabulary inside the province.

FC should be place on borders and not in civilian areas, he said.All political forces should get united on Balochistan issue and I am hopeful that theproblem could be resolved easily.

False FlagA series of CIA memos describes how Israeli Mossad agents posed as

American spies to recruit members of the terrorist organization Jundallah tofight their covert war against Iran.

BY MARK PERRY | JANUARY 13, 2012

Buried deep in the archives of America's intelligence services are a series of

memos, written during the last years of President George W. Bush's


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administration, that describe how Israeli Mossad officers recruited

operatives belonging to the terrorist group Jundallah by passing themselves

off as American agents. According to two U.S. intelligence officials, the

Israelis, flush with American dollars and toting U.S. passports, posed as CIA

officers in recruiting Jundallah operatives -- what is commonly referred to as

a "false flag" operation.

The memos, as described by the sources, one of whom has read them and

another who is intimately familiar with the case, investigated and debunked

reports from 2007 and 2008 accusing the CIA, at the direction of the White

House, of covertly supporting Jundallah -- a Pakistan-based Sunni extremist

organization. Jundallah, according to the U.S. government and published

reports, is responsible for assassinating Iranian government officials and

killing Iranian women and children.

But while the memos show that the United States had barred even the most

incidental contact with Jundallah, according to both intelligence officers, the

same was not true for Israel's Mossad. The memos also detail CIA field

reports saying that Israel's recruiting activities occurred under the nose of

U.S. intelligence officers, most notably in London, the capital of one of

Israel's ostensible allies, where Mossad officers posing as CIA operatives

met with Jundallah officials.

The officials did not know whether the Israeli program to recruit and use

Jundallah is ongoing. Nevertheless, they were stunned by the brazenness of

the Mossad's efforts.

"It's amazing what the Israelis thought they could get away with," the

intelligence officer said. "Their recruitment activities were nearly in the


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open. They apparently didn't give a damn what we thought."

Interviews with six currently serving or recently retired intelligence officers

over the last 18 months have helped to fill in the blanks of the Israeli false-flag operation. In addition to the two currently serving U.S. intelligence

officers, the existence of the Israeli false-flag operation was confirmed to me

by four retired intelligence officers who have served in the CIA or have

monitored Israeli intelligence operations from senior positions inside the

U.S. government.

The CIA and the White House were both asked for comment on this story.By the time this story went to press, they had not responded. The Israeli

intelligence services -- the Mossad -- were also contacted, in writing and by

telephone, but failed to respond. As a policy, Israel does not confirm or deny

its involvement in intelligence operations.

There is no denying that there is a covert, bloody, and ongoing campaign

aimed at stopping Iran's nuclear program, though no evidence has emerged

connecting recent acts of sabotage and killings inside Iran to Jundallah.

Many reports have cited Israel as the architect of this covert campaign,

which claimed its latest victim on Jan. 11 when a motorcyclist in Tehran

slipped a magnetic explosive device under the car of Mostafa Ahmadi

Roshan, a young Iranian nuclear scientist. The explosion killed Roshan,

making him the fourth scientist assassinated in the past two years. The

United States adamantly denies it is behind these killings.

According to one retired CIA officer, information about the false-flag

operation was reported up the U.S. intelligence chain of command. It

reached CIA Director of Operations Stephen Kappes, his deputy Michael


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Sulick, and the head of the Counterintelligence Center. All three of these

officials are now retired. The Counterintelligence Center, according to its

website, is tasked with investigating "threats posed by foreign intelligence

services."

The report then made its way to the White House, according to the currently

serving U.S. intelligence officer. The officer said that Bush "went absolutely

ballistic" when briefed on its contents.

"The report sparked White House concerns that Israel's program was putting

Americans at risk," the intelligence officer told me. "There's no question thatthe U.S. has cooperated with Israel in intelligence-gathering operations

against the Iranians, but this was different. No matter what anyone thinks,

we're not in the business of assassinating Iranian officials or killing Iranian

civilians."

Israel's relationship with Jundallah continued to roil the Bush administration

until the day it left office, this same intelligence officer noted. Israel's

activities jeopardized the administration's fragile relationship with Pakistan,

which was coming under intense pressure from Iran to crack down on

Jundallah. It also undermined U.S. claims that it would never fight terror

with terror, and invited attacks in kind on U.S. personnel.

"It's easy to understand why Bush was so angry," a former intelligence

officer said. "After all, it's hard to engage with a foreign government if

they're convinced you're killing their people. Once you start doing that, they

feel they can do the same."

A senior administration official vowed to "take the gloves off" with Israel,


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according to a U.S. intelligence officer. But the United States did nothing --

a result that the officer attributed to "political and bureaucratic inertia."

"In the end," the officer noted, "it was just easier to do nothing than to, youknow, rock the boat." Even so, at least for a short time, this same officer

noted, the Mossad operation sparked a divisive debate among Bush's

national security team, pitting those who wondered "just whose side these

guys [in Israel] are on" against those who argued that "the enemy of my

enemy is my friend."

The debate over Jundallah was resolved only after Bush left office when,within his first weeks as president, Barack Obama drastically scaled back

joint U.S.-Israel intelligence programs targeting Iran, according to multiple

serving and retired officers.

The decision was controversial inside the CIA, where officials were forced

to shut down "some key intelligence-gathering operations," a recently retired

CIA officer confirmed. This action was followed in November 2010 by the

State Department's addition of Jundallah to its list of foreign terrorist

organizations -- a decision that one former CIA officer called "an absolute

no-brainer."

Since Obama's initial order, U.S. intelligence services have received

clearance to cooperate with Israel on a number of classified intelligence-

gathering operations focused on Iran's nuclear program, according to a

currently serving officer. These operations are highly technical in nature and

do not involve covert actions targeting Iran's infrastructure or political or

military leadership.


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"We don't do bang and boom," a recently retired intelligence officer said.

"And we don't do political assassinations."

Israel regularly proposes conducting covert operations targeting Iranians, butis just as regularly shut down, according to retired and current intelligence

officers. "They come into the room and spread out their plans, and we just

shake our heads," one highly placed intelligence source said, "and we say to

them -- 'Don't even go there. The answer is no.'"

Unlike the Mujahedin-e Khalq, the controversial exiled Iranian terrorist

group that seeks the overthrow of the Tehran regime and is supported byformer leading U.S. policymakers, Jundallah is relatively unknown -- but

just as violent. In May 2009, a Jundallah suicide bomber blew himself up

inside a mosque in Zahedan, the capital of Iran's southeastern Sistan-

Baluchistan province bordering Pakistan, during a Shiite religious festival.

The bombing killed 25 Iranians and wounded scores of others.

The attack enraged Tehran, which traced the perpetrators to a cell operating

in Pakistan. The Iranian government notified the Pakistanis of the Jundallah

threat and urged them to break up the movement's bases along the Iranian-

Pakistani border. The Pakistanis reacted sluggishly in the border areas,

feeding Tehran's suspicions that Jundallah was protected by Pakistan's

intelligence services.

The 2009 attack was just one in a long line of terrorist attacks attributed to

the organization. In August 2007, Jundallah kidnapped 21 Iranian truck

drivers. In December 2008, it captured and executed 16 Iranian border

guards -- the gruesome killings were filmed, in a stark echo of the

decapitation of American businessman Nick Berg in Iraq at the hands of al


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Qaeda's Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. In July 2010, Jundallah conducted a twin

suicide bombing in Zahedan outside a mosque, killing dozens of people,

including members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The State Department aggressively denies that the U.S. government had or

has any ties to Jundallah. "We have repeatedly stated, and reiterate again that

the United States has notprovided support to Jundallah," a spokesman wrote

in an email to the Wall Street Journal, following Jundallah's designation as a

terrorist organization. "The United States does not sponsor any form of

terrorism. We will continue to work with the international community to

curtail support for terrorist organizations and prevent violence against

innocent civilians. We have also encouraged other governments to take

comparable actions against Jundallah."

A spate of stories in 2007 and 2008, including a report by ABC News and a

New Yorker article, suggested that the United States was offering covert

support to Jundallah. The issue has now returned to the spotlight with the

string of assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and has outraged serving

and retired intelligence officers who fear that Israeli operations are

endangering American lives.

"This certainly isn't the first time this has happened, though it's the worst

case I've heard of," former Centcom chief and retired Gen. Joe Hoar said of

the Israeli operation upon being informed of it. "But while false-flag

operations are hardly new, they're extremely dangerous. You're basically

using your friendship with an ally for your own purposes. Israel is playing

with fire. It gets us involved in their covert war, whether we want to be

involved or not."


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The Israeli operation left a number of recently retired CIA officers sputtering

in frustration. "It's going to be pretty hard for the U.S. to distance itself from

an Israeli attack on Iran with this kind of thing going on," one of them told

me.

Jundallah head Abdolmalek Rigi was captured by Iran in February 2010.

Although initial reports claimed that he was captured by the Iranians after

taking a flight from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan, a retired intelligence officer with

knowledge of the incident told me that Rigi was detained by Pakistani

intelligence officers in Pakistan. The officer said that Rigi was turned over to

the Iranians after the Pakistani government informed the United States that it

planned to do so. The United States, this officer said, did not raise objections

to the Pakistani decision.

Iran, meanwhile, has consistently claimed that Rigi was snatched from under

the eyes of the CIA, which it alleges supported him. "It doesn't matter," the

former intelligence officer said of Iran's charges. "It doesn't matter what they

say. They know the truth."

Rigi was interrogated, tried, and convicted by the Iranians and hanged on

June 20, 2010. Prior to his execution, Rigi claimed in an interview with

Iranian media -- which has to be assumed was under duress -- that he had

doubts about U.S. sponsorship of Jundallah. He recounted an alleged

meeting with "NATO officials" in Morocco in 2007 that raised his

suspicions. "When we thought about it we came to the conclusion that they

are either Americans acting under NATO cover or Israelis," he said.

While many of the details of Israel's involvement with Jundallah are now

known, many others still remain a mystery -- and are likely to remain so.


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the western imperialist powers have an obvious interest in preventing a stable balochistan from...

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