Students, pilgrims and traders cross Taftan, Gwadar borders as instability worsens following US-Israeli strikes
QUETTA:
Pakistani students, pilgrims, tourists and traders are returning from Iran through Taftan and Gwadar border posts in Balochistan as tensions in Iran escalate following attacks by the United States and Israel.
The repatriation process was launched to ensure the safety of Pakistani nationals amid escalating conflict in the Islamic Republic.
According to Deputy Commissioner Chagai, 19 students crossed the Taftan border overnight from the Iranian city of Zahedan, all affiliated with Zahedan Medical University. The students include 12 from Punjab and seven from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. After completing medical and administrative checks at the border, arrangements are made to transport them to their province of origin.
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Deputy Commissioner Gwadar Naqeebullah Kakar said The Express PK Press Club that 51 Pakistani citizens returned via the Gabd-Ramdan border near Gwadar, including five students alongside pilgrims, tourists and traders stranded due to the deteriorating situation in Iran.
Federal Investigation Agency Balochistan Director Muhammad Behram Khan said immigration services were functioning round the clock to ensure uninterrupted return of Pakistanis.
All arriving citizens are provided with food, accommodation and travel arrangements to their respective provinces as soon as possible, Khan said.
Pakistani authorities have urged citizens still in Iran, especially students and pilgrims, to return immediately using available routes. Authorities confirmed that movements at the Taftan and Gwadar borders remain active and more arrivals are expected.
The government said it was taking all possible measures to ensure the safe return of nationals stranded in the country.
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Pakistani authorities have initiated the process of repatriating citizens stranded in Iran due to the deteriorating security situation in Iran. The first group of returnees safely crossed the Gabd-Rimdan border and returned to Pakistan, marking the start of an accelerated humanitarian response amid growing regional instability.
Along with the return of Pakistani citizens, Pakistan’s flight operations to the Middle East remain severely disrupted, with more than 500 domestic and international flights canceled over the past three days. This left thousands of passengers stranded.
These developments follow joint US-Israeli strikes in Iran, which have so far left 201 people dead and more than 700 injured. The situation deteriorated when Iranian official media confirmed the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The 86-year-old man was allegedly targeted while working in his central management compound.
Since the assassination, Iran has targeted several US bases in neighboring Gulf states, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq.
