GWADAR: Pakistan reopened its border crossing with Iran at Gabd-Rimdan on Saturday, restoring bilateral trade and allowing stranded trucks carrying LPG and essential food commodities to resume movement after a weeklong suspension that began Oct. 17.
Border officials cleared commercial consignments holding a consignment note dated Oct. 16 or earlier to cross at the Gabd-Rimdan point, known as Gate 250, in Gwadar.
Mir Naveed Jan Kalmati, president of the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, confirmed that trade operations resumed Saturday morning.
“Pakistan has opened the border with Iran at Gabd-Rimdan this morning and allowed trucks and other vehicles to move toward Iran and Pakistan with import and export goods,” Kalmati said.
Kalmati welcomed the decision, noting that the resumption of cross-border commerce will bring immediate relief to traders and transporters stranded on both sides.
He added that the restored supply chain is expected to ease a nationwide LPG shortage and reduce soaring energy and food prices across Pakistan.
Saturday’s reopening came after local administrators reviewed the security situation and deployed additional forces to protect trade convoys following an attack earlier in the week.
On Thursday, unidentified gunmen targeted the backlog of freight vehicles parked near the closed Gabd-Rimdan crossing, setting dozens of trucks ablaze and damaging several others.
Those trucks had been stranded since Oct. 17, when Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce abruptly suspended trade at both the Gabd-Rimdan and Taftan crossings. The ministry issued a memorandum withdrawing an Oct. 3 trade order with immediate effect without specifying a reason for the halt.
