Pakistan opens six corridors to Iran
- Pakistan put six overland transit corridors to Iran into effect after issuing a 2026 trade order, opening routes from Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar. - The new framework covers third-country cargo for Iran and came as roughly 3,000 Iran-bound containers were reported stranded at Karachi port. - The move expands Pakistan-Iran trade links as Afghan officials accuse Pakistan of deadly cross-border shelling. (apnews.com)
Pakistan has put six land corridors to Iran into effect under a new 2026 transit order, opening overland routes for cargo moving across Pakistani territory. (dawn.com) (thenews.pk) Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce issued the “Transit of Goods through Territory of Pakistan Order 2026,” and reports said it took effect on April 25. The routes connect Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar to the Gabd and Taftan border crossings with Iran. (dawn.com) (propakistani.pk) The order covers goods from third countries that enter Pakistan and continue onward to Iran, with cargo backed by a bank guarantee tied to Pakistani import duties. Pakistani outlets reported about 3,000 Iran-bound containers were waiting at Karachi port as the new rules were announced. (nation.com.pk) (sg.news.yahoo.com) The corridor decision lands as Pakistan is also facing a fresh dispute on its western frontier. Afghan officials said Pakistani mortars and missiles hit Kunar province on April 28, striking Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University and nearby homes. (apnews.com) (nytimes.com) Afghan officials said seven people were killed and at least 85 were wounded in the first reported Pakistani strikes since China-hosted peace talks earlier in April. Pakistan rejected the university-strike claim and said reports of attacks on civilians were false. (apnews.com) (pakistantoday.com.pk) That leaves Pakistan trying to deepen trade links with Iran while its border with Afghanistan is again under strain. The six-route order gives Iran-bound cargo a legal path across Pakistan even as security tensions are rising next door. (thenews.pk) (aljazeera.com) Pakistan had already begun using the broader Iran corridor this month, with Pakistani media reporting a first export consignment to Uzbekistan moving via Iranian territory on April 12. The new order formalizes and widens that logistics channel. (pakistantoday.com.pk) (newscentralasia.net) For now, the immediate facts are two-track: six Iran transit corridors are open on paper and in law, and Afghanistan says Pakistani fire has killed civilians across the border. Pakistan is denying the strike allegations as the trade routes move ahead. (dawn.com) (apnews.com) (pakistantoday.com.pk)
