KARACHI: At least one Pakistani was wounded after Iranian forces opened fire on smugglers in an area on the border of Iran and Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, a local Pakistani official said on Wednesday.
The Associated Press reported that the shooting at the border left at least two dead and six wounded. It quoted Iranian officials as saying forces had shot at several fuel smugglers on the Pakistani side of the border near Saravan the day before.
Mohammad Hadi Marashi, deputy governor of the Sistan-Balochistan province, also accused Pakistani forces of opening fire at a gathering of fuel smugglers trying to cross back into Iran, killing one and wounding four.
Pakistan has set aside nearly $20 million to fence its 900-kilometer border with Iran, frequently used for trade and by minority Shia Muslims who travel from Pakistan to Iran for religious pilgrimages. But the border is also the entry point for cross-border militancy and for an illegal fuel trade that authorities have struggled to crackdown on for decades.
Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported that the shooting was part of a crackdown by Iranian authorities against smugglers of Iranian petrol.
“No Pakistani [has] died ... only one person from Kharan [was] injured with a leg bullet, who is stable now,” Abdul Razzaq Sasoli, deputy commissioner of Panjgur, a Pakistani district bordering Balochistan, told Arab News, denying reports that a Pakistani had been killed in the incidents.
One border official said on condition of anonymity that one Pakistan had been killed in the firing incident. Arab News could not verify that claim from Pakistan’s foreign office or the Balochistan home minister Mir Ziaullah Langove, who did not respond to repeated attempts for comment.
Sanaullah Baloch, a Pakistani lawmaker and leader of the Balochistan National Party, said the number of the deceased and injured was much higher than reported.
“We have reports that several dead and injured have been brought to Panjgur and other districts of Balochistan,” Baloch said. “I demand a trilateral commission comprising members of the Iranian and Pakistani foreign ministries and Baloch representatives and elders to probe this unfortunate incident and dig out the reasons for why fire was opened on innocent people.”
Iran has not officially confirmed or denied the incident yet.
An angry mob stormed a district governor’s office in southeastern Iran on Tuesday, footage widely circulating on social media showed, a day after shootings at the border. Violent clashes had also erupted Monday at a police station in Saravan. Iranian border guards opened fire at fuel smugglers trying to storm the station, wounding several, AP reported.
Pakistan says one local wounded in border firing by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
https://arab.news/gx4nr
Pakistan says one local wounded in border firing by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
- International media reported that the shootings at the border left at least two dead and six wounded
- Iranian official accuses Pakistani forces of opening fire at fuel smugglers trying to cross back into Iran
Pakistan PM gives 48 hours to draft fuel-saving plan as global oil prices surge
- Government warns against hoarding after sharp fuel price hike amid Middle East tensions
- PM wants provinces to enforce anti-profiteering measures and prevent public exploitation
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked his administration to formulate a strategy for fuel conservation and austerity in government affairs within 48 hours after a sharp rise in global oil prices pushed the country to increase domestic fuel rates, a senior minister said on Saturday.
The directive comes a day after the government raised petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 ($0.20) per liter, citing a surge in international energy prices triggered by escalating conflict in the Middle East after Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran. The situation has rattled global oil markets and threatened key shipping routes.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said Sharif had instructed officials to urgently prepare a practical plan aimed at reducing fuel consumption and promoting austerity across government institutions.
“The prime minister has given 48 hours to formulate an actionable strategy on savings, austerity and simplicity in government affairs,” he said in a social media post on X.
Tarar said Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik had also been tasked with consulting the country’s four provincial chief ministers to coordinate measures against fuel hoarding and ensure strict enforcement of government directives.
He informed the ministers had been asked to ensure that speculation and profiteering in fuel markets were prevented, adding that authorities would take strict action against violators.
“The prime minister has directed that no leniency be shown to elements involved in exploiting the public,” he said, warning that licenses of those petrol pumps violating government orders could be revoked.
Tarar also urged the public not to pay attention to rumors regarding petroleum supplies or pricing, saying the government and relevant ministries would continue to release verified information as the situation evolves.
He said Pakistan was not alone in facing rising energy costs, noting that many countries were grappling with similar pressures due to volatility in global oil markets.
Pakistan relies heavily on imported fuel to meet its energy needs and is particularly vulnerable to global price shocks, which can quickly push up inflation and strain the country’s fragile external accounts.
