Pakistan opens six land corridors

Pakistan has formally opened six overland transit corridors for third-country goods headed to Iran through Pakistani territory. (commerce.gov.pk) The legal change came through S.R.O. 691(I)/2026, issued by Pakistan’s Commerce Ministry in Islamabad on April 25, 2026. The order says it “shall come into force at once.” (commerce.gov.pk) The order applies to cargo that starts in a third country, crosses Pakistan, and ends in Iran. Pakistan says those shipments will move under the Customs Act, 1969, and procedures set by the Federal Board of Revenue. (commerce.gov.pk) (geo.tv) The six notified routes link Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar to the Gabd and Taftan border points. One corridor runs directly from Gwadar to Gabd, while others pass through Lyari, Ormara, Pasni, Khuzdar, Quetta, Dalbandin and Nokundi. (commerce.gov.pk) (dawn.com) Pakistan’s order also requires “customs security,” defined as an encashable financial guarantee equal to Pakistan’s import levies on the goods. It separately defines “cross stuffing” as transferring cargo from one container or transport mode to another under customs rules. (commerce.gov.pk) The immediate pressure point is Karachi port, where Dawn reported more than 3,000 containers destined for Iran had been stuck for days. That backlog built up as maritime access to Iran was disrupted and traders looked for land alternatives. (dawn.com) (sg.news.yahoo.com) The new framework is not a brand-new bilateral pact. Pakistan’s order says it was issued under Article 2 of a Pakistan-Iran road transport agreement signed on June 29, 2008, and under Pakistan’s Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 1950. (commerce.gov.pk) (geo.tv) What changed this week is that Pakistan converted that older legal basis into a specific 2026 transit order with named corridors and customs conditions. That gives shippers a formal route map for cargo that cannot move normally by sea. (commerce.gov.pk) (dawn.com) For Pakistan, the corridors put Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar at the center of a rerouted supply chain into Iran. For Iran, they create a regulated land bridge at a moment when port and Hormuz-linked shipping disruptions have left cargo stranded. (dawn.com) (sg.news.yahoo.com) The order is narrow but concrete: six routes, one notification, and immediate effect from April 25. The next test is whether those corridors clear the container backlog now sitting at Pakistan’s ports. (commerce.gov.pk) (dawn.com)