QUETTA: The Pakistan House at Taftan will be expanded in view of increasing numbers of pilgrims travelling between Pakistan and Iran and providing more facilities to families at the border.

The decision was taken at a meeting held in Taftan on Monday. It was attended by Balochistan Corps Commander Lt Gen Asif Ghafoor, Frontier Corps (South) IG Maj Gen Anwar Kamal Chaudhry, Rakhshan division Commissioner Saifullah Khetran and other senior security officials.

At present, Pakistan House can accommodate 800 to 1,000 pilgrims, not enough to house Pakistanis who reach Taftan for going to Iran and Iraq for pilgrimage and returning to the country.

The meeting noted that the present accommodation in Pakistan House was not enough and decided to expand to provide more facilities to the pilgrims and other people who use the border for journeys to Turkey and European countries.

The participants of the meeting also suggested that a new state-of-the-art building for the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)should be constructed for extending immigration facilities to the travellers, especially to the pilgrims who travel throughout the year.

Later, Gen Ghafoor visited the FIA immigration office where he was briefed on the handling of passengers and immigration clearance. He assured the FIA of support for better facilities to ensure hassle-free immigration clearance for the passengers.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2022