Iran border closed after firing incident

QUETTA:

Authorities closed down the border with Iran in Balochistan’s Panjgur district on Wednesday.

The move comes due to the ensuing tense situation in Iran’s Sistan province after the firing incident that injured a Pakistani citizen on February 22.

Bahadur Khan was severely injured and both his legs were fractured in firing from Iranian forces. He is currently being treated at the district hospital. Panjgur officials have instructed Iranian oil traders and drivers not to cross the border into Iran.

Pakistan and Iran are separated by a 959 km long border. The border districts of Balochistan are a major market for Iranian goods.

“Oil smuggling is a major source of employment for residents of the border areas of both the two countries, which is a risky business," officials said. "Iranians bring oil to the border, where Pakistanis buy it and sell it in their own country.”

Protesters also set fire to government vehicles, while several people vandalised the mayor's office after besieging it earlier this week.

Sources familiar with the matter said that several videos of tensions in Sarawan have also gone viral on social media and shared widely by netizens.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2021.