Pakistan-Iran trade: Partial reopening amid paperwork and security disputes

Pakistan and Iran share two primary border crossings in Balochistan province that typically handle heavy freight traffic. On October 17, the Pakistani government suspended cargo movement through the Gabd-Rimdan and Taftan checkpoints, citing security risks.

By Monday, goods began moving again, marking a partial restart of trade that had been frozen for nine days. Mir Naveed Jan Kalmati, president of the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, confirmed that commercial activity resumed partially over the weekend. Border officials cleared consignments dated October 16 or earlier, according to truck association officials.

Haji Noor Muhammad Shahwani, central president of the Balochistan Goods Truck Owners Association, reported from Quetta that Pakistani exports, including rice and bananas, were crossing into Iran. He confirmed that trucks loaded in Iran before the closure, many carrying liquefied petroleum gas, were entering Pakistan slowly.

The suspension of Iranian LPG shipments caused severe shortages and price spikes in Pakistan, which relies heavily on Middle Eastern energy imports. Rizwan Ahmed, a customs clearing agent near the Gabd-Rimdan crossing, stated that customs authorities instructed agents to file declarations for stranded trucks. Ahmed said his own consignment of rice, retail goods, potatoes, and bananas had just departed. He did not specify if this approval applied to goods loaded after October 16.

Iranian officials argue that new paperwork requirements are hindering the flow of cargo. Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, posted on X on Sunday that Iran had not restricted exports. He stated that changes in the implementation of Pakistan’s E-Form procedure have made it difficult for traders to dispatch goods from Iran to Pakistan.

The trade halt occurred against a backdrop of heightened security concerns. On Thursday, gunmen attacked trucks waiting near the Gabd crossing. The military reported that 10 attackers were killed in operations around Gabd and Gwadar city, with one civilian also dying. Balochistan accounted for 131 of the 225 armed attacks recorded nationwide in September, 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 at a Friday briefing that Pakistan adheres to applicable sanctions regimes. He stated he did not have direct knowledge of ground conditions 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.

A memorandum from the Commerce Ministry dated October 16, seen by Al Jazeera, withdrew a previous waiver on the E-Form for imports from Iran. The document took effect immediately. Moghadam said consultations were under way and cited reports that several hundred LPG trucks had crossed into Gabd but remained unloaded. Shahwani noted that unloading issues persisted, possibly due to banking problems related to international trade.

Bakhtiar Ismail, deputy commissioner of Chagai in Balochistan, described the closure as a temporary measure to improve border management and support counterterrorism efforts. Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei attributed delays to technical issues. Imtiaz Baloch, a security analyst, noted that while U.S. pressure on Iran may influence the situation, no concrete statement linked the closure directly to U.S. economic policy.

The border remains in a state of partial operation, with security and administrative hurdles continuing to affect the movement of goods between the two neighbors.