A five-day halt to Pakistan-Iran trade has left hundreds of trucks waiting at the Gabd-Rimdan crossing, while a Gwadar trader says the policy has cost importers and exporters billions of rupees, AFP reported.
A Balochistan border official, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to address the media, said the suspension had lasted five days. The official said shipments entering Iran were stopped. On Oct. 21, authorities allowed some cargo traveling through Iran to continue to destinations in Central Asia or Turkey.
Abdul Ghani, 28, a truck driver at the crossing, told AFP that he and other drivers had waited for days. “We have no drinking water and no proper facilities for food or other basic necessities,” he said.
Azeem Khan, 32, another truck driver in the queue, urged authorities to reopen the route. He said Baloch traders and workers were particularly affected and that losses were growing.
Shams Ul Haq, a trader from Gwadar, said the border policy had cost Pakistani importers and exporters billions of rupees. In an Oct. 17 statement, Balochistan provincial official Shahid Rind said the closure was temporary, citing security risks and efforts to limit smuggling.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment to AFP, while the Interior Ministry did not respond to the news agency’s request for comment.
