Pak-Iran trade halt raises spectre of LPG shortages

GWADAR: Cross-border trade with Iran through the Gabd-Rimdan border crossing has stopped completely, fuelling concerns over a serious liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shortage in Pakistan and putting hundreds of tonnes of perishable export cargo, including rice and mangoes, at risk of going bad.

The Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) called on the federal government, senior customs officials and other relevant authorities to intervene urgently, saying the Gabd-Rimdan crossing was strategically important and that administrative hurdles should be removed to restore the movement of commercial vehicles.

Chamber blames customs delays

The chamber held Pakistan Customs officials responsible for the suspension, alleging that formal trade at the crossing had been disrupted by avoidable procedural delays. GCCI President Jiand Hoot said the disruption had come at a time when Pakistan’s border trade network was already under pressure.

According to Hoot, the Chaman border is closed, traders at the Taftan-Zahedan border are on strike because of worsening security conditions, and trade through the Panjgur and Mand-Radig crossings is almost absent due to poor roads as well as repeated incidents of arson and vehicles being set on fire.

Referring to the shrinking number of functioning overland routes, he said the country’s overland energy supply chain had become heavily reliant on Gabd-Rimdan.

Attributing the warning to Hoot, the chamber said that over the past 10 to 15 days, hundreds of LPG-loaded bowsers and trucks had remained stuck at the terminal while awaiting customs clearance, a situation it said had already led to shortages in major cities.

Prices rise as trucks remain stranded

Hoot said LPG prices had climbed in Karachi and parts of Punjab, and claimed the fuel was reportedly unavailable even at Rs400 per kilogram. He also expressed concern that the disruption at the border had coincided with shipping constraints in the Strait of Hormuz, adding further strain to national energy supplies.

He warned that if the deadlock at Gabd-Rimdan persisted, LPG could vanish from local markets altogether.

In a direct appeal carried by the chamber, Hoot said: “This crisis comes at a time when Pakistan’s border trade infrastructure is already under severe strain,”

“With other major trade routes effectively closed, the country’s overland energy supply chain has become heavily dependent on the Gabd-Rimdan border,” he added.

Warning of further fallout, he said that “If the gridlock at Gabd-Rimdan continues, LPG could disappear from local markets altogether.”

Imports and exports both affected

Hoot also claimed that Iranian commercial vehicles were being repeatedly refused entry and sent back from the National Logistics Corporation yard. He said the blockage had disrupted not only imports from Iran but also brought exports to a standstill.

The reported suspension has therefore hit both sides of the trade flow, with energy supplies under pressure and outbound consignments of perishable goods facing the risk of spoilage as delays continue at the border crossing.