WEB DESK: Thousands of trucks remain delayed at the Pakistan-Iran frontier, even as some cross-border trade has restarted after a week-long shutdown, Pakistani business representatives told AFP on Monday.
Mir Naveed Jan Kalmati, who heads Gwadar’s chamber of commerce, estimated that 3,000 to 4,000 trucks were waiting on the Iranian side and another 2,000 to 3,000 on Pakistan’s. Authorities are allowing only selected vehicles through to reduce the backlog, he said.
Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam said on Sunday that Iran had imposed no restrictions, including on LPG exports. He attributed the disruption to changes in Pakistan’s E-Form import procedure, saying traders were unable to dispatch goods.
Business groups are calling for trade to resume fully. Kalmati said drivers and companies were frustrated and wanted to return home and continue operating. Traders in Balochistan said they had been told that only vehicles with paperwork dated before October 16 could cross.
The Gwadar chamber warned that the border closure and halt to LPG imports had disrupted Pakistan’s supply chain and pushed prices sharply higher.
The disruption comes as Pakistan seeks to mediate in the Middle East conflict involving Iran. Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir was due in Tehran on Monday for his second visit in less than a week. Iranian and Saudi officials also said representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan were set to discuss regional security with Iranian counterparts.
