- Gwadar Commissioner Confirmed suspension of travel, fuel movement.
- The situation deteriorates quickly across makran and chagai divisions.
- Exaggerated by those who are against banning smuggled fuel, says Govt.
QUETTA: Iran’s ongoing armed conflict with Israel has had critical consequences in neighboring Pakistan’s province of Balochistan, where a province of fuel crisis unfolds at alarming speed, The news reported Monday.
From the provincial capital Quetta to Turbat, Panjgur, Gwadar and Chagai, Petrol pumps shut down, significant supplies are stuck, and the wheels of daily life are sanded.
In Quetta, over 70% of gas stations are already closed, with long, chaotic cows formed on the few that remain operational. Panic spreads as a fuel deficiency is elaborated, and there is fear that all gasoline pumps in the city could completely cease the operations within the next 24 hours.
However, the crisis is not limited to Quetta as the situation worsens at an increased speed across the makran and chagai divisions.
The Balochistan Government has sealed all border crossings with Iran indefinitely, including critical trading and fuel routes in Turn Cat, Panjgur, Gwadar and Chagai.
The decision, made in the light of escalating regional security threats, has cut off the province’s primary supply of Iranian gasoline that meets the fuel needs of balochistan.
In Chagai, authorities have confirmed the closure of border crossings on Mashkel, an important trade route with Iran. Like Makran, the border closure has triggered fuel deficiency and disturbed the supply of significant goods in the region’s towns and villages.
Gwadar’s Deputy Commissioner confirmed the immediate suspension of travel and fuel movement across the Gabad-Kalatuk border, while the Panjgur authorities have enforced a complete closure of pedestrian and fuel transitions with Iran.
“Given the increasing security risks and the unstable international situation, these are essential precautions,” the Panjgur administration said.
The crisis has tightened its grip for weeks. In Quetta, all mini gasoline pumps that sell Iranian fuel have already been closed in the last two weeks after the government’s crash. Similar closures and supply disorders are now reported in Chagais Mashkel region, where societies that are long dependent on cross-border trade face severe transport paralysis.
However, the Balochistan Government claims that there is no provincial fuel emergency. Government spokesman Shahid Rind dismissed fuel deficiency as “a false tale spread by petrol smugglers”. He said Iranian gas stations are safety hazards, citing 28 fuel-related accidents over Quetta in the last month, including events on Airport Road and in the Hazar Ganji area.
“These so -called deficiencies are exaggerated by those who want to lift the ban on smuggled Iranian fuel,” Rind said, adding that a strict action was taken to ensure the delivery of legal gasoline through registered pumps.
Petrol stations that found hamstring or rejection of service will have immediate legal consequences, he warned.
However, basic reports present a drastic different reality. In cities, border towns and remote areas throughout the province – including Quetta, Gwadar, Panjgur, Turn Cat and Chagai – the petrol pumps have gone dry, long lines persist, and fears rise that the fuel crisis could soon bring the entire province to a standstill.
The rapidly escalating international crisis between Iran and Israel is no longer a distant geopolitical question – its direct falls close the streets of Balochistan, freeze its markets and lock its borders down.
The local administrations of Gwadar, Panjgur and Chagai have warned residents to limit unnecessary travel and fully cooperation with the authorities during this critical period. Officials have stated that the cross -border restrictions will remain in place until the security situation stabilizes.
As Balochistan harnesses to elaborate on fuel deficiency, tighten border controls and spread panic, its people now find themselves trapped between strict security lamps, economic paralysis and a rapid shrinking supply of important goods.
In the midst of the development situation in Balochistan, Federal Minister of Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik has disproved rumors and reports of petroleum deficiency in the country.
The minister has said that Pakistan has reserves of oil products.
