BALOCHISTAN – Thousands of containers sit stranded, and hundreds of trucks remain stuck, and traders face mounting uncertainty after Pakistan abruptly suspended cross-border trade with Iran.
The sudden suspension of cross-border trade with Iran triggered major disruption for businesses, leaving trail of containers stranded at Gabd-Rimdan crossing and raising fears of losses worth billions of rupees, as a wave of kidnappings intensifies security concerns in Balochistan.
The closure of the Taftan and 250 commercial border crossings between Iran and Pakistan has reportedly left thousands of trucks carrying fresh fruit and onions stranded on both sides of the border, causing significant financial losses for traders in both countries
1/ https://t.co/YYBcWv6FDV— Lal Wazir journalist in PAK -AFG (@LalWazir19) October 18, 2026
Businesses say lack of advance notice compounded the crisis, with shipments delayed and payments already transferred to Iranian counterparts. Authorities called the shutdown a temporary security measure, but the absence of a confirmed reopening date has left the trading community facing mounting uncertainty.
Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry members raised questions over carrying goods stranded at Gabd-Rimdan alone. He warned that suspension could inflict losses worth billions of rupees on traders and businesses dependent on cross-border commerce.
A customs clearing agent at Gabd-Rimdan, speaking on condition of anonymity, reported that around 65 containers cleared through his services remained stranded. He also raised concerns over incoming trucks carrying fresh food supplies from Sindh and Punjab, warning that additional shipments could become trapped if the restrictions continued.
The financial consequences could extend beyond transportation delays. According to the agent, Pakistani traders had already paid their Iranian counterparts for goods, exposing businesses to further losses as deliveries remain on hold.
Counterterrorism
The suspension was confirmed by Chagai Deputy Commissioner Bakhtiar Ismail in a post on social media platform X. He said the decision was taken for security reasons and was intended to improve border management in support of counterterrorism operations.
Balochistan government has also defended the move, citing the need to strengthen border controls, prevent smuggling and improve administrative arrangements.
Shahid Rind, the provincial government’s spokesperson and an aide to the chief minister, said the temporary closure was necessary to address security concerns on both sides of the frontier.
The trade suspension comes amid a series of serious security incidents in the province.
On Friday, at least 20 police constables were abducted by unidentified armed men in Mastung district. According to a senior provincial official who spoke to Arab News, the personnel were returning from a police recruitment centre in Kalat when armed men intercepted their passenger van in a mountainous area of Mastung.
In a separate incident a day earlier, Asad Ullah Kakar, commissioner of Balochistan’s Rakhshan Division, was abducted while travelling from Quetta through Kharan district.
