Pakistan formally notified six overland trade routes to enable transport of goods to Iran, as the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has left thousands of containers stranded at Pakistani ports, Pakistani news agency Dawn reported on Sunday.
The situation forced Islamabad to step in and issue a new statutory order that takes effect immediately as Tehran's critical land bridge to the outside world, the report said.
According to Dawn, Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce issued the Transit of Goods through Territory of Pakistan Order 2026, designating six corridors connecting Pakistani ports to Iranian border crossings. The routes include:
- Gwadar-Gabd;
- Karachi/Port Qasim-Lyari-Ormara-Pasni-Gabd;
- Karachi/Port Qasim-Khuzdar-Dalbandin-Taftan;
- Gwadar-Turbat-Hoshab-Panjgur-Nagg-Besima-Khuzdar-Quetta/Lakpass-Dalbandin-Nokundi-Taftan;
- Gwadar-Liari-Khuzdar-Quetta/Lakpass-Dalbandin-Nokundi-Taftan;
- Karachi/Port Qasim-Gwadar-Gabd.
The trigger is an acute cargo crisis building at Pakistan's ports. More than 3,000 containers headed to Iran have reportedly been stuck at the Karachi port for the past several days, as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — which in peacetime handled one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supply — and the siege of Iranian ports continues amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
ALSO READ: 'Next stop $140': Iran Hits Back At Trump Over Oil Claims As Brent Crude Surges
The order has come into force with effect from Satuday and applies to the transportation of transit goods consigned from the territory of a third country and destined to a place in Iran through Pakistan's territory, the report said.
As per Dawn, shipments will be regulated under Pakistan's Customs Act, 1969, with traders required to submit an encashable financial guarantee equivalent to Pakistan's applicable import levies before goods can move.
The order has been,reportedly issued in pursuance of Article 2 of the Agreement between the government of Pakistan and the government of Iran on International Transport of Passengers and Goods by Road, executed in June 2008.
Pakistan has been serving as the primary mediator between Washington and Tehran in ceasefire and nuclear talks since the conflict began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
ALSO READ: Revenge Till Last Drop Of Blood: Iran Issues Stark Threat — Immediate Action If US Moves Forward
For Iran, whose currency has reportedly collapsed to 1.81 million rials to the dollar and whose oil revenues have been slashed by an estimated $400 million a day under the blockade, Pakistan's land routes offer a critical, if partial, workaround to Washington's maritime stranglehold.
Pakistan's move will prove a complicating variable for Trump, whose blockade strategy depends on maximum economic suffocation.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.