Pakistani nationals carried suitcases across the border from neighboring Iran, describing missile strikes and chaos in their journeys as they rushed to leave the country after the United States and Israel launched strikes over the weekend.
AFP Journalists saw a steady stream of people passing through large metal gates at the remote border crossing between Mirjaveh in Iran and Taftan in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
Powerful explosions have rocked the Iranian capital, Tehran, since Saturday, with embassies of countries around the world asking their citizens to leave.
“All our Pakistani brothers who were in Tehran and other cities had started leaving and were arriving at the terminal, which caused a lot of pressure from the crowd,” said Ameer Muhammad, a 38-year-old trader. AFP Monday.
“Due to the crowds, there were big transportation problems.”
The isolated Taftan border lies about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Quetta.
AFP journalists saw the Iranian flag flying at half-mast while soldiers stood guard.
Most people were carrying bulky luggage as they crossed the border on foot, while cargo trucks formed a long line.
Irshad Ahmed, a 49-year-old pilgrim, said AFP he was staying at a hostel in Tehran when he saw missiles being fired nearby.
“There was a military base near the hostel and we saw many missiles being fired,” he said.
“After that, we went to the Pakistani embassy so they could evacuate us from there. They brought us here safely.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was a “violation” of international law.
“It is an old convention that heads of state/government should not be targeted,” Sharif wrote on X.
“The people of Pakistan join the people of Iran in their hour of grief and sorrow and offer their deepest condolences for the martyrdom” of Khamenei, he added.
A teacher at the Pakistan Embassy in Tehran, who goes by the name Saqib, said AFP: “Before we left, the situation was normal. The situation was not so bad.”
The 38-year-old said the strikes on Tehran on Saturday “forced us to leave the city.”
“The situation worsened on Saturday evening, when attacks caused precious loss of life,” he said.
