Closure of Zero Point border leaves Taftan residents jobless

Residents forced to work in Quetta, Dalbandin, Naushki and other areas to eke out a living.

QUETTA: Mohammed Hameed, a 34-year-old partially blind man, has been struggling to make ends meet ever since Iranian officials suddenly closed the informal trade route Zero Point two months ago.

Zero Point, located at the Taftan crossing point, was the main trading point upon which thousands of families relied for their livelihood.

“I had come to Quetta to work as a daily wager and now we are being punished without having committed any crime,” says Hameed. He is not the only one bearing the brunt of the closure. Over 5,000 families in Chaghai, which shares a border with Iran, are dependent on trade at Zero Point to earn a living.

Zero Point was unilaterally shut down by Iran two months ago, claiming that it needed to carry out construction work on its side of the border. However, that work has now been completed. Still, informal trade remains at a standstill, despite being permitted under the Barter Trade Agreement, agreed upon by officials of bordering districts. This is the fourth time this year that Iran has restricted informal trade across the border.

Meanwhile, the residents of Taftan are forced to work in Quetta, Dalbandin, Naushki and other areas of the province to eke out a living.

Abdul Qadir, a resident of Taftan, says, “We have to ask residents of nearby settlements to send us goods for our daily use, like flour and soft drinks.” He adds, “The closure of informal trade is meant to deprive hundreds of people of food and the basic necessities of life.”

Deputy Commissioner Dr Tufail says, “Whenever the border is closed it means over 5,000 people have been made jobless from just a single government action. This is also creating a law and order situation because if there are no jobs it leads to crime. I have personally observed that the closure of the border is pushing people into criminal activities.”

Tufail says that he has written to Iranian officials requesting that the border be reopened and he has a meeting to discuss this with them on November 20.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th,  2011.