Gwadar: Pakistan reopened the Gabd Rimdan border crossing with Iran on Saturday, October 24, allowing commercial vehicles carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), food commodities, and other goods to resume movement after trade was suspended on October 17.

Trade operations resumed at Gate 250 in Gwadar following a security review by local authorities and the deployment of additional personnel to protect freight convoys.

Border officials initially permitted consignments carrying documentation dated October 16 or earlier to cross into either country.

Mir Naveed Jan Kalmati, president of the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, confirmed that trucks carrying imports and exports had begun crossing the border on Saturday morning.

Kalmati said the reopening would provide relief to traders and transporters whose vehicles had remained stranded on both sides of the border. He also expressed hope that the resumption of supplies would help address LPG shortages and rising energy and food prices in Pakistan.

What led to the border closure?

Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce suspended trade through the Gabd Rimdan and Taftan crossings on October 17 by withdrawing a trade order issued on October 3rd. The ministry's memorandum ordered the suspension with immediate effect but did not specify a reason.

The closure left freight vehicles stranded near the border, disrupting the movement of goods between Pakistan and Iran.

On Thursday, 22 October, unidentified gunmen attacked vehicles parked near the Gabd Rimdan crossing, setting dozens of trucks on fire and damaging others. Following the incident, local administrators reviewed security arrangements and deployed additional forces before allowing trade to resume.

The Gabd Rimdan crossing connects Pakistan's Gwadar district in Balochistan with Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province and serves as a route for bilateral trade. The suspension affected transporters, importers, and exporters dependent on the crossing, including businesses that transport LPG and food commodities into Pakistan.

Although trade has resumed at Gabd Rimdan, the extent to which restored shipments will ease supply shortages and affect consumer prices remains uncertain. The available information does not establish whether trade has also resumed at the Taftan crossing or whether restrictions on consignments dated after October 16 have been lifted.