Safe passage: People walk into Pakistan via the Taftan border crossing amid ongoing US-Israel strikes on Iran. Photo: AFP
QUETTA:
Nearly 2,000 people have entered Pakistan through the Pak-Iran border crossing at Taftan, including families of some diplomats, following US-Israeli strikes against Iran, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti said on Friday.
He told reporters that the provincial government had placed all relevant departments on high alert in view of the developing situation in the neighbouring country, with authorities closely monitoring developments along the Iranian border.
“So far, 1,979 individuals have entered Pakistan through the Taftan border point,” the chief minister said. “Among them are the families of 37 diplomats, who are being facilitated and provided necessary support upon their arrival.”
According to Bugti, the provincial government is maintaining close coordination with federal authorities while continuously reviewing the security and humanitarian situation. He said officials had been directed to remain fully prepared to respond to any emerging circumstances.
“The arrival of Pakistani citizens and foreign nationals through Taftan is continuing, and they are being provided essential facilities,” Bugti said. He added that officials in border districts had also been instructed to make necessary arrangements to manage arrivals at the crossing.
Bugti said immigration officials, security agencies and the local administration were working together to ensure the process remained organised and smooth. He reiterated that the provincial government was maintaining close coordination with federal authorities.
Logistics
Pakistanis fleeing Iran described explosions and missile strikes across Tehran shaking the ground under their feet and engulfing buildings in fire and smoke in a city emptied of many of its residents.
“I was in the classroom when a powerful explosion rocked our university building,” Hareem Zahra, 23, a student at the Tehran University of Engineering, told Reuters after crossing Pakistan’s land border with Iran. “We saw thick smoke coming from many buildings on fire,” she said, adding Tehran was under attack until the moment she left.
Nearly 1,000 students, businessmen and pilgrims have fled Iran since the war started out of a total 35,000 Pakistanis in the country, Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s ambassador to Tehran, said. “There are now serious challenges. As you know there is no internet in most parts of Iran,” he said.
Tehran has looked deserted since the conflict began, said Nadir Abbas, 25, a student of Persian literature at a university in the Iranian capital. “I saw a drone hit a basketball court where six girl players lost their lives.” Reuters could not verify his account.
“The first attack happened right next to my hospital,” said Sakhi Aun Mohammad, a student at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. After he reached the border, an Iranian friend called to check if he was safe, saying: “Thank God, you have gone to Pakistan, all of you are safe, but your hostel has been attacked”.
A Pakistani diplomat who is still in Tehran said attacks took place every four or five hours, adding one missile struck a building next to his office. “At times you will feel as if something exploded right at your feet,” he said.
“The last time I got out was at night. Buildings had collapsed, some others were on fire. There is destruction everywhere.” He added: “It is almost like a ghost town.”
(With additional input from Reuters)
