By Muhammad Luqman
Pakistan and Iran on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to expediting the opening of new border crossing points along their 959 kilometer-long border.
At present, there is only official crossing between Pakistan and Iran , called Taftan-Mirjaveh border. Taftan is a town located in Chagai District, Balochistan while the border crossing point on the Iranian side is at Mirjaveh.
According to a statement of Pakistan’s foreign office, the second session of Pakistan-Iran Higher Border Commission (HBC) was held in Islamabad to discuss the modalities for opening of new crossing points on the border between the two countries.
Director General (Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri led the Pakistani side while Iranian delegation was led by Director General of International Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Abbas Bagherpour Ardekani.
Over the course of the meeting, the two sides held constructive discussions on effective implementation of the existing border mechanisms within the relevant frameworks, including Agreement for Administration of Pakistan-Iran border of 1960.
They agreed to further strengthen mutual cooperation in these areas. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expedite the opening of new border crossing points with mutual understanding.
Both parties emphasized the necessity of updating border maps and border pillar descriptions and carrying out joint border surveys.
The two sides also shared the understating about their effective border management efforts through appropriate measures including physical installations such as fencing.
The HBC is a mechanism for consultations between the two countries to discuss all border-related issues for enhanced coordination at different levels. The first session of the commission was held in Tehran last year in July.
The second session was held in the follow-up of the decisions taken by the leadership of the two countries during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Iran in April this year.
