Pakistan Allows Limited Cargo Flow After Balochistan Security Halt

Freight trucks carrying rice, bananas, and liquefied petroleum gas began moving through the Pakistan-Iran border on Monday, ending a nine-day suspension that disrupted energy supplies and goods trade. The flow is partial, with officials confirming that only specific consignments are clearing the checkpoints.

The halt began on October 17, when Islamabad suspended cargo traffic through the Gabd-Rimdan and Taftan crossings in Balochistan province. Authorities cited security risks as the primary reason for the closure. Before the suspension, hundreds of trucks and vehicles typically passed through these crossings daily, transporting goods and people between the two neighbors.

The security situation deteriorated after gunmen attacked trucks waiting near the Gabd crossing on Thursday. The military reported killing 10 attackers in operations around Gabd and Gwadar city, with one civilian also dying in the incident. Balochistan has faced a separatist rebellion for decades. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, the province recorded 131 of the 225 armed attacks in Pakistan in September, marking the highest monthly national total in 12 years.

On Monday, trade began to resume in a limited capacity. Mir Naveed Jan Kalmati, president of the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated that trade partially resumed over the weekend. Border officials cleared consignments dated October 16 or earlier. Haji Noor Muhammad Shahwani, central president of the Balochistan Goods Truck Owners Association, confirmed that Pakistani exports such as rice and bananas were crossing the border. He also noted that Iranian trucks loaded before the closure, including those carrying LPG, were slowly entering Pakistan.

The halt in Iranian LPG imports caused severe shortages and price spikes in Pakistan, a country that imports the bulk of its energy from the Middle East. The economic impact was compounded by shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz resulting from the US-Israel war on Iran, which began on February 28. Rizwan Ahmed, a customs clearing agent near the Gabd-Rimdan crossing, said customs authorities instructed agents to file declarations for stranded trucks to release them. Ahmed described his own consignment of rice, retail goods, potatoes, and bananas as having just left.

Despite the partial reopening, Iran has complained about administrative hurdles. Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, stated on X on Sunday that Iran had placed no restrictions on exports to Pakistan. He argued that changes in the implementation of Pakistan’s E-Form procedure for imports had made it effectively impossible for traders to dispatch cargo from Iran to Pakistan. The E-Form is designed to record imports and their payment through banks.

A memorandum from Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce, dated October 16, withdrew a previous waiver on the E-Form for imports from Iran that had been extended on October 3. The change took effect immediately. Moghadam said consultations were under way and cited reports that several hundred LPG trucks had crossed into Gabd but were not yet unloaded or cleared. Shahwani suggested the unloading problem was likely related to banking or international trade procedures.

Bakhtiar Ismail, deputy commissioner of Chagai in Balochistan, described the closure on October 18 as a temporary measure to improve border management and support counterterrorism efforts. Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei cited technical issues as a factor. Speculation grew that the Pakistani step might have been taken under US pressure as part of Washington’s efforts to suffocate Iran economically. Imtiaz Baloch, a security analyst, said the US policy of maximum pressure likely had a direct or indirect influence, though no concrete statement linked the closure explicitly to US economic policy.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressed the border at its weekly news briefing on Friday. Spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan said Pakistan adheres to all applicable sanctions regimes in accordance with international and domestic laws. He stated he did not have direct knowledge of the situation on the ground and did not confirm whether the US had pressured Pakistan over the closure. The Ministry of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment.

The partial resumption of trade leaves a significant portion of the border traffic still constrained. While Pakistani exports are moving, the flow of Iranian goods remains blocked by the paperwork and banking disputes. The next step in resolving the issue depends on the ongoing consultations between the two countries regarding the E-Form procedure.