Pakistani authorities on Friday started building a gate at the country’s border with Iran at Taftan to curb illegal trade. The construction of “Pakistan Gate” in Chagai district, to be completed in two months, will be inaugurated on August 14, Pakistan’s English newspaper Dawn reported on its website on Saturday. Iran has already constructed a trade gate inside its border at Mirjaveh in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan Province, and has been demanding that Pakistan build a similar gate on its side of the border. Iran has also erected 10-foot-high walls at various places along with its border with Pakistan. Speaking at the Taftan ceremony, Frontier Corps Sector Commander Brigadier Khalid Beg said the purpose of building the gate was to make border management more effective. He said it would be a trade gate and facilitate thousands of traders and tourists crossing into Pakistan. Balochistan customs official, Saeed Ahmed Jadoon, said the gate would help curb illegal trade on both sides of the border. The Pakistani government is also constructing the “Pakistan House” at Taftan to provide facilities to people going to Iran and Iraq for pilgrimage.
