LPG Trucks Crawl Back Into Pakistan Amid Security Tension
Balochistan recorded 131 attacks in September, the highest monthly total in 12 years, as border trade partially resumed.
By Larissa Shah ·
Freight trucks began moving again across the Pakistan-Iran border on Monday. The movement followed a nine-day halt that started on October 17. Islamabad suspended cargo traffic at the Gabd-Rimdan and Taftan crossings in Balochistan province due to security risks.
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. Pakistani exports including rice, bananas, potatoes, and retail goods crossed the border, according to Haji Noor Muhammad Shahwani, central president of the Balochistan Goods Truck Owners Association.
Trucks loaded in Iran before the closure, specifically those carrying liquefied petroleum gas, entered Pakistan. Shahwani confirmed that these vehicles were clearing slowly. Rizwan Ahmed, a customs clearing agent near the Gabd-Rimdan crossing, said customs told agents to file declarations for stranded trucks. He noted his own consignment had just left.
Iran claimed that changes to import paperwork introduced by Islamabad were holding up its cargo. Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, wrote on X on Sunday that the changes to the E-Form procedure made it impossible for traders to dispatch cargo. He stated that Iran’s borders remained open and that it placed no restrictions on exports.
The trade halt triggered speculation that Pakistan acted under US pressure to suffocate Iran economically. Pakistan insisted the closure was due to a deteriorating security situation in Balochistan. Gunmen attacked trucks waiting near the Gabd crossing on Thursday. The military said 10 attackers were killed in operations around Gabd and Gwadar city, and one civilian died.
Balochistan accounted for 131 of the 225 armed attacks recorded nationwide in September. The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies noted this was the highest monthly national total in 12 years. A Commerce Ministry memorandum from October 16 withdrew a previous waiver on the E-Form for imports from Iran. The E-Form records imports and their payment through banks.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it adheres to all applicable sanctions regimes. Spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan did not confirm whether the US pressured Pakistan over the closure. Imtiaz Baloch, a security analyst, said US maximum pressure on Iran influenced the situation directly or indirectly through banking channels and LPG trade companies.
