WANA (Aug 03) – Iran and Pakistan have launched four specialized committees under their 10th Joint Economic and Trade Commission, aiming to expand bilateral trade to over 2,000 trucks per day and address long-standing border congestion.

 

Mujib Hassani, a member of the Iranian delegation and Deputy Governor of Sistan and Baluchestan Province for Economic Affairs, announced the move in Zahedan. He highlighted that expanding border capacity, distributing trade evenly across shared crossings, and eliminating traffic bottlenecks are central to the talks.

 

Four Committees to Operationalize Agreements

The newly activated committees are focusing on practical solutions across four key sectors:

 

  • Trade and Agriculture
  • Transportation
  • Investment and the ITI Corridor
  • Banking

 

According to Hassani, a core priority for Tehran is implementing agreements made during a recent visit by Iran’s Interior Minister and the provincial governor to Pakistan, which set the 2,000-truck daily target.

 

Easing Bottlenecks and Balancing Crossings

To prevent traffic jams and fully utilize existing infrastructure, Iran is advocating for a more balanced distribution of trade across the Mirjaveh, Kuhak, Pishin, and Rimdan border points.

 

Hassani noted that relying heavily on just one or two crossings causes severe delays for commercial vehicles.

 

Iran has also proposed dedicated fast-track lanes for essential and perishable goods—such as meat and rice—to clear customs without long wait times. While Pakistani authorities have yet to approve the priority lanes, the proposal remains under negotiation.

 

Additionally, the Iranian delegation suggested setting up separate transit routes for high-demand exports like LPG, as well as dedicated lanes for empty trucks to speed up border clearances.

 

Hassani expressed confidence that finalizing these proposals will align trade volume with the actual capacity of the shared borders.