After negotiations with Pakistan’s Embassy in Tehran, problems related to visas for Iranian transit truck drivers held up at the eastern borders for weeks have been solved, says director general of International Transportation and Transit Bureau with Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization.
“Pakistani officials had said that they were facing a shortage of special holograms used in visas. Now Islamabad has supplied holograms to Pakistan’s Embassy in Tehran and its consulates in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan Province, and Mashhad, the capital of Khorasan Razavi,” Javad Hedayati was also quoted as saying by IRIB News.
Long lines of Iranian trucks were formed at the common border with Pakistan.
“This is not the first time Pakistan is causing trouble for our transportation and transit at its borders. Last winter, they set heavy tariffs for Iranian trucks entering their country and our drivers were held up at the border for days. This is while Pakistani fleet are commuting as usual through the Iranian borders,” Hedayati had earlier told the Persian daily Shargh.
He noted that during the recent episode of traffic congestion at the border, Iranian truck drivers were made to unload their consignments at Pakistan’s borders and deliver them to Pakistani fleet, adding that this was very time-consuming and damaged the goods.
“Pakistani officials’ excuse for not issuing visas for Iranian drivers is somewhat strange. They say they are facing a shortage of special holograms used in visas,” he said.
Spokesperson of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, Rouhollah Latifi, told ILNA that, at present, truck traffic and trade between Iran and Pakistan are back to normal.
Mahmoud Tohidast, a board member of Iran-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce, says Pakistani officials prevent the easy flow of transit through their country under many pretexts.
“One day they increase transit tariffs and the next they refrain from issuing visas for our drivers. They also deliberately make customs procedures much more difficult to create these long lines.”
A few years back, the Pakistani government began setting up fences at its 950-kilometer borders with Iran, saying that it is trying to prevent terrorist activities after Pakistani troops were attacked at the borders.
Pakistani officials say another reason they want fences across the borders is to curb smuggling. They have asked their Iranian counterparts to tighten safety measures on their side of the borders as well. Officials in Iran have said that they welcome Pakistan’s fence project since it makes it easier for them to control the borders.
Ali Ziyaei, a transportation expert, also believes that Pakistan’s measures are part of a bigger plan to leave Iran out of the regional transit.
“Our southeastern neighbor even plans to make peace with India after years of dispute. Recently, Indian wheat cargos that were usually transited via Iran’s Chabahar Port to Afghanistan had Pakistani routes to their destination.
