QUETTA: At least nine Afghan nationals were killed and 10 others injured in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday when the pickup truck they were traveling in collided with an oil tanker, a police official said.
The collision occurred in Nokundi, a town located on Pakistan’s border with Iran in the southwestern Balochistan province. District Police Officer Muhammad Shareef Kalhoro told Arab News that the Zamyad vehicle (a pickup truck made by Iranian automobile manufacturer Zamyad Co.) was transporting Afghan nationals illegally when the accident took place.
“Twenty-one illegal Afghan migrants were onboard the Zamyad vehicle when it was hit by an oil tanker in the kacha [remote] area of Nokundi,” Kalhoro said.
“Nine Afghans were killed on the spot and 10 were injured in the serious accident,” he added.
The police official said the bodies and injured persons were sent back to Afghanistan through cross-border coordination and in accordance with legal protocol.
Kalhoro said preliminary investigations indicate the Afghan nationals were attempting to enter Europe illegally from Afghanistan via Iran, facilitated by an organized human smuggling network.
“All legal proceedings have been initiated, and the human smuggling network is being traced for further action,” he said.
Pakistan launched a nationwide crackdown against people living in the country illegally in 2023, with Afghan refugees bearing the brunt of the deportation drive. Pakistan says it has deported over 1.5 million Afghans since then. The crackdown was launched after a spate of suicide attacks in the country that Islamabad blamed on Afghan nationals without providing proof.
Thousands of migrants travel illegally through the desolate areas of Chaghi district in Balochistan every year in an attempt to reach Europe via Iran.
Balochistan, home to the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, is considered by experts to be Pakistan’s most underdeveloped province across almost all social and economic indicators.
The province is also home to multi-billion-dollar mineral projects such as Saindak and Reko Diq. However, most districts in Balochistan have dilapidated roads, which often lead to fatal accidents.
