Crucial points in Gwadar and Panjgur districts are affected by this closure.(image/defencepk)
Islamabad, Pakistan: Amid escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, Pakistan has closed all its border crossings with Iran in Balochistan ‘indefinitely’, said provincial officials on Monday. Pakistan has suspended both pedestrian movement and fuel transportation until further notice.
According to reports, hundreds of Pakistani students and pilgrims have also been evacuated from Iran. Nearly 450 Pakistani pilgrims from Iran were evacuated over the weekend, with further evacuations set to take place for both students and pilgrims from Iran and Iraq.
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“Border facilities in all five districts, Chaghi, Washuk, Panjgur, Kech and Gwadar, have been suspended,” Qadir Bakhsh Pirkani, a senior official in Balochistan province bordering Iran, told news agency AFP.
Reportedly, major crucial points in Gwadar and Panjgur districts, including the Gabd-Kalato and other routes, are affected by this closure.
Residents in Balochistan have been urged to cooperate with instructions from the administration, avoid unnecessary travel and remain vigilant during this period of escalating Iran-Israel tension, according to reports.
However, there was “no ban on trade” activities at the border, and Pakistani nationals needing to return to their country from Iran can cross, reported Al Jazeera.
Pakistan’s foreign office has reportedly also imposed a 24*7 Crisis Management Unit (CMU) in Islamabad to help its nationals and advise pilgrims to reconsider travel plans to Iran and Iraq.
This comes shortly after Iran claimed that Pakistan has “asserted” that it would attack Israel with a nuclear bomb if the nation launched a nuclear strike against Iran. Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, however, denied the claims.
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The Iran-Israel Conflict
On Friday morning, Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, wiping out the top echelon of Iran’s military command and nuclear scientists. damaging its military and nuclear sites. In response, Iran launched a fresh wave of ballistic missile and drone attacks on Tel Aviv in the early hours of Monday, triggering air raid sirens across the country.
According to Iranian state media, Israeli attacks have killed at least 80 people, including 20 children, and wounded 800 others over the past two days. Israeli authorities said that 10 people had been killed in Iranian strikes, with over 180 injured.
Iran said that Israel struck its oil refineries and killed the intelligence chief of the Revolutionary Guard, hitting population centers in intensive aerial attacks.
Meanwhile, Iran has rejected all forms of negotiations with Israel and made it clear that it would only pursue serious negotiations after completing its response to Israel’s strikes. Iran conveyed to the mediators of Qatar and Oman that it is not open to negotiating a ceasefire while under Israeli attack.
