Pakistan Reopens Border Trade With Iran

Pakistan began moving cargo through its border with Iran on Monday, ending a nine-day suspension of trade that started on October 17. The resumption is partial, with officials and traders reporting that only specific shipments are currently crossing the checkpoints in Balochistan province.

Mir Naveed Jan Kalmati, president of the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated that trade partially resumed over the weekend. He noted that goods began flowing again after the initial freeze. Border officials confirmed that they cleared consignments that had been dated October 16 or earlier. This included vehicles that had loaded cargo in Iran before the suspension order took effect.

Haji Noor Muhammad Shahwani, central president of the Balochistan Goods Truck Owners Association, reported from Quetta that Pakistani exports were crossing into Iran. He identified rice and bananas as key commodities moving in that direction. Trucks carrying liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, from Iran were also entering Pakistan. Shahwani noted that these trucks were moving slowly as they cleared the border.

The halt in LPG imports caused immediate shortages and price spikes in Pakistan. The country imports the majority of its energy from the Middle East. The closure exacerbated economic pressures already present due to shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. These disruptions stemmed from the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel.

Rizwan Ahmed, a customs clearing agent near the Gabd-Rimdan crossing, said customs officials instructed agents to file declarations for stranded trucks. He quoted officials telling them to bring in as much cargo as possible. Ahmed confirmed that his own consignment, which included rice, retail goods, potatoes, and bananas, had just departed. He did not specify if this directive applied to goods loaded after October 16.

Iranian officials argue that bureaucratic changes are hindering the flow of goods. Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, posted on X on Sunday that Tehran had placed no restrictions on exports. He stated that changes to Pakistan’s E-Form procedure for imports made it difficult for traders to dispatch cargo. The E-Form, also known as the EIF, records imports and their payment through banks.

A memorandum from Pakistan’s Commerce Ministry dated October 16 withdrew a previous waiver on the E-Form. This waiver had been extended on October 3. The new memo took effect immediately. Moghadam said consultations between the two countries were underway. He cited reports that several hundred LPG trucks had crossed into Gabd but had not yet been unloaded or cleared.

Shahwani from the truck owners association said the unloading issue remained unresolved. He attributed the delay to problems with banks and international trade processes. Bakhtiar Ismail, the deputy commissioner of Chagai, described the closure as a temporary measure to improve border management. He also linked the action to counterterrorism efforts in the region.

Security concerns prompted the initial suspension. Gunmen attacked trucks waiting near the Gabd crossing on Thursday. The military reported killing 10 attackers in operations around Gabd and Gwadar city. One civilian died in the incident. Balochistan recorded 131 of the 225 armed attacks nationwide in September. This was the highest monthly total in 12 years, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

Sajjad Haider Khan, spokesman for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the country adheres to applicable sanctions regimes. He stated this during a weekly news briefing on Friday. Khan said he did not have direct knowledge of the ground situation and did not confirm if the United States pressured Pakistan to close the border. The Ministry of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment. Imtiaz Baloch, a security analyst, said US pressure likely influenced the decision, either directly or through banking channels, though no official statement linked the closure to US policy.