TAFTAN: Pakistan on Friday again urged Iran to reopen the tax-free trade and travel corridors — known as Zero Point and Rahdari Gate — at the Taftan border.

The request was made by Assistant Commissioner (AC) Taftan Muhammad Hussain during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart at Rahdari Gate. The meeting discussed local residents’ suffering owing to prolonged closure of trade and travel gates in Taftan, a small town near the Pakistan-Iran border in Chagai district.

Muhammad Raza Ekhwan, the Marzban Grade-2 of Iranian border town Mir Javeh, assured AC Taftan that the issue would be taken up with the concerned authorities and positive news was expected in this regard, sources said.

Talking to Dawn, AC Taftan said he had also sent a letter mentioning the latest meeting to Marzban Grade-1 and requested him to allow the resumption of tax-free trade and travel activities under the 1958 agreement signed between Pakistan and Iran.

Earlier, Pakistani officials had made several similar requests but these could not be met despite assurances by the Iranian officials.

Meanwhile, a protest rally was held in Taftan against the prolonged closure of trade and travel corridors. Haji Khuda-e-Nazar, the president of Taftan Labour Union, led the rally.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2021