Iranian Forces Killed Eight Traders Near Pakistan By Mohammad Zafar

Six cattle traders from the Pakistani side of Balochistan were returning home after delivering cows to their customers in Iranian Balochistan when they were chased and fired upon by Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guards of Iran). All six died instantly.

QUETTA: Iranian forces killed eight traders and injured another in the northeast of Chabahar port city, close to Pakistan, in the early hours of Thursday.

Six cattle traders from the Pakistani side of Balochistan were returning home after delivering cows to their customers in Iranian Balochistan when they were chased and fired upon by Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guards of Iran). All six died instantly.

Four other travellers from Bahu Kalat and Dashtiyari sub districts, north of Chabahar, also came under fire. Two of them were killed while as many injured in the attack. The victims were travelling in two vehicles.

The incident took place on Zaran hills – an area between Iranian Chabahar district and Gwadar in Pakistan. The area is one of the largest border trade routes between the two countries with over 400 cargo vehicles shuttling daily. It is also used by smugglers and clashes with Iranian forces are common in the region.

“It was midnight when these traders from Gwadar were returning after delivering about a dozen cows to their customers in Bahu Kalat area. They were chased by Pasdaran while crossing the border on foot,” a resident of Chabahar said when reached by telephone.

“Two brothers, Hassan Yousuf and Meeran Yousuf, from Dimpak village in Bahu Kalat also came under attack. Hassan sustained serious injuries, while his brother escaped unhurt.”

Sources from Chabahar and Gwadar said the Iranian forces had taken the eight bodies and the injured into their custody and shifted them to a Chabahar hospital. Pakistani officials have been trying to retrieve the bodies of six Pakistanis, but Iran has refused to hand them over.

Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Abdul Rahman Dashti said all six Pakistanis were from Dasht and other villages in Gwadar.

Iran has beefed up security along the Pakistani border after an armed group Jundullah carried out a deadly attack on its forces in recent weeks.

This was the third incident in the last two months when Iranian forces chased and killed 13 people from Pakistani Balochistan. They include two people who were arrested and killed in the sea between Chabahar and Jiwani village in Pakistan. In two cases, Iranian forces crossed into Pakistan and killed locals.

In one of the incidents, three Iranian border guards were arrested and charged for manslaughter in Mashkel region, overlooking Jalak in Iranian Balochistan.

Both Iran and Pakistan have a treaty allowing people on both sides of the border free trade exchange, mainly trading foodstuff and other essential commodities. The informal trade is encouraged by both the countries as part of the humanitarian efforts to ensure supplies of essential commodities to communities residing in the barren border region. The area is one of the largest border trade routes between the two countries with over 400 cargo vehicles shuttling daily. It is also used by smugglers and clashes with Iranian forces are common in the region.