Pakistan-Iran border to remain open 24 hours during Muharram
Listen to article
Pakistan and Iran have agreed to strengthen border cooperation and significantly enhance facilities for religious pilgrims ahead of the Islamic months of Muharram and Arbaeen, according to APP.
The decisions were made during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni in Tehran on Wednesday. Senior officials from both countries were also present.
As part of the new understanding, the Pakistan-Iran border will remain open 24 hours a day during Muharram and Arbaeen to ensure smooth movement for pilgrims.
The Iranian government will provide accommodation and meals in Mashhad for up to 5,000 Pakistani pilgrims. A hotline will also be established between the two countries to resolve cross-border issues swiftly.
In a key development, the ministers agreed to convene a trilateral meeting involving Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq in Mashhad prior to Arbaeen. The meeting aims to improve logistical and administrative arrangements for pilgrims making the religious journey.
The two sides also discussed increasing the number of flights for pilgrims and explored the possibility of sea travel to ease transit.
Cooperation on curbing illegal immigration, human trafficking, and drug smuggling was also addressed. Both ministers reaffirmed the importance of stronger coordination between border forces to enhance regional security.
Naqvi expressed gratitude to Iran for its continued support to Pakistani pilgrims and assured cooperation regarding the release of Iranian fishermen who inadvertently crossed into Pakistani waters.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
Iran weighs retaliation against U.S. for strikes on nuclear sites
ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Iran and Israel traded air and missile strikes as the world braced on Monday for Tehran's response to the U.S. attack on its nuclear sites and U.S. President Donald Trump raised the idea of regime change in the Islamic republic. Iran vowed to defend itself on Sunday, a day after the U.S. joined Israel in the biggest Western military action against the country since its 1979 Islamic Revolution, despite calls for restraint and a return to diplomacy from around the world. ommercial satellite imagery indicated the U.S. attack on Saturday on Iran's subterranean Fordow nuclear plant severely damaged or destroyed the deeply buried site and the uranium-enriching centrifuges it housed, but the status of the site remained unconfirmed, experts said. Investors brace for oil price spike, rush to havens after US bombs Iran nuclear sites In his latest social media comments on the U.S. strikes, Trump said 'Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran.' 'The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!' he wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump earlier called on Iran to forgo any retaliation and said the government 'must now make peace' or 'future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.' The U.S. launched 75 precision-guided munitions including bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles against three Iranian nuclear sites, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, told reporters. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the U.S. strikes. Rafael Grossi, the agency's director general, told CNN that it was not yet possible to assess the damage done underground. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that most of the highly enriched uranium at Fordow had been moved elsewhere before the attack. Reuters could not immediately corroborate the claim. Tehran, which denies its nuclear programme is for anything other than peaceful purposes, sent a volley of missiles at Israel in the aftermath of the U.S. attack, wounding scores of people and destroying buildings in Tel Aviv. But it had not acted on its main threats of retaliation, to target U.S. bases or choke off oil shipments that pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Attempting to strangle Gulf oil supply by closing the strait could send global oil prices skyrocketing, derail the world economy and invite conflict with the U.S. Navy's massive Fifth Fleet based in the Gulf. Oil prices jumped on Monday to their highest since January. Brent crude futures LCOc1 rose $1.88 or 2.44% at $78.89 a barrel as of 1122 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 advanced $1.87 or 2.53% at $75.71. Iran's parliament has approved a move to close the strait, which Iran shares with Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Iran's Press TV said closing the strait would require approval from the Supreme National Security Council, a body led by an appointee of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump says Iran's key nuclear sites 'obliterated' by US airstrikes Caine said the U.S. military had increased protection of troops in the region, including in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. State Department issued a security alert for all U.S. citizens abroad, calling on them to 'exercise increased caution.' The United States already has a sizeable force in the Middle East, with nearly 40,000 troops and warships that can shoot down enemy missiles. The Israeli military reported a missile launch from Iran in the early hours of Monday morning, saying it was intercepted by Israeli defences. Air raid sirens blared in Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel. Iran has repeatedly targeted the Greater Tel Aviv - a metropolitan area of around 4 million people - the business and economic hub of Israel where there are also critical military assets. Iranian news agencies reported air defences were activated in central Tehran districts to counter 'enemy targets', and that Israeli air strikes hit Parchin, the location of a military complex southeast of the capital. Regime change In a post to the Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump raised the idea of regime change in Iran. 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' he wrote. Trump's post came after officials in his administration, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, stressed they were not working to overthrow Iran's government. US B-2 bombers involved in Iran strikes, U.S. official says Israeli officials, who began the hostilities with a surprise attack on Iran on June 13, have increasingly spoken of their ambition to topple the hardline Shi'ite Muslim clerical establishment. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is expected to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday. The Kremlin has a strategic partnership with Iran, but also close links with Israel. Speaking in Istanbul on Sunday, Araqchi said his country would consider all possible responses and there would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated. Russia's foreign ministry condemned the U.S. attacks which it said had undermined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. 'The risk of the conflict spreading in the Middle East, which is already gripped by multiple crises, has increased significantly,' it said. The U.N. Security Council met on Sunday to discuss the U.S. strikes as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council the U.S. bombings in Iran marked a perilous turn in the region and urged a return to negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme.
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
KU halts PhD admissions in many depts
The administration of the University of Karachi (KU) has decided to temporarily halt PhD admissions in around 10 departments for the 2025 academic session, due to the unavailability of required PhD-qualified faculty members. The decision was made during a meeting of the Board of Advanced Studies and Research (BASR), chaired by Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mehmood Iraqi. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Dr Iraqi confirmed that PhD admissions have been suspended in specific departments. He said a similar step was taken earlier for the Law School, as it also lacked the necessary faculty. "If we allow admissions in these departments without adequate teaching staff, students will suffer due to a lack of proper research guidance and course instruction," he added. He clarified that this is a temporary move until faculty availability improves. Departments where both MPhil and PhD admissions have been suspended include: Health & Physical Education and Sports Science, Criminology, and the Sheikh Zayed Islamic Research Centre's Islamic Banking and Finance programmes. Departments where only PhD admissions have been halted, while MPhil still being offered, include: English Linguistics, General History, International Relations, Pharmacy Practice, Islamic Studies with Computer Science Technology (under Sheikh Zayed Centre), Pakistan Study Centre, and the Marine Reference Collection and Resource Centre.
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
US attack: unravelling Iran's 75 years of work
Photo: Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. REUTERS Listen to article Iran's nuclear programme, which began in the 1950s with the help of the United States, is a tale of immense financial and human sacrifices. Ironically, the very country that helped Tehran launch it now appears determined to destroy it nearly 75 years later. During the Pahlavi dynasty in the 1970s, the programme expanded with the installation of nuclear power reactors. However, after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the programme was halted, and the US imposed its first economic sanctions. In the 1990s, suspicions arose in the international community that Iran was secretly developing nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted its first inspection in 2003, uncovering Iran's nuclear activities. In 2006, permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany initiated talks with Iran. This resulted in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), under which Iran agreed to limit uranium enrichment to 3.67% and reduce its enriched uranium stockpile. Iran also allowed the IAEA full monitoring access to its nuclear sites, and the agency confirmed Iran's transparency until 2015. In 2018, the United States — under President Donald Trump — withdrew from the deal, prompting Iran to gradually resume uranium enrichment. After 2021, enrichment levels reached 60%. Between 2021 and 2025, the IAEA expressed doubts and concerns over Iran's lack of cooperation. In early 2025, a new diplomatic effort began to revive the agreement. Five rounds of negotiations were held, with a sixth round scheduled from June 1315 in Oman. On June 12, the IAEA reported that Iran was close to reaching a nuclear breakout point. The next day, June 13, Israel launched an attack on Iran, killing six nuclear scientists, the Iranian army chief, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, and the aerospace commander. In total, over fifteen Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in recent Israeli attacks. Two generals, the IRGC deputy intelligence chief, and a deputy commander were also killed. Previously, in 2009, Iranian nuclear scientist Dr Masoud Mohammadi was assassinated. In 2010, Dr Majid Shahriari was also killed. In 2011, Dariush Rezaeinejad lost his life, and in 2020, the mastermind of Iran's nuclear programme, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated. According to foreign news agencies, Iran has six major nuclear facilities across different cities. Natanz and Fordow are used for uranium enrichment. Arak had a heavy water reactor, which was attacked by Israel on June 19. Bushehr is Iran's only nuclear power plant; Isfahan has a uranium conversion center while Lashkarabad hosts a nuclear experimental center. Iran's nuclear facilities have also been targeted by multiple cyber and physical attacks. In 2010, the Stuxnet virus damaged centrifuges at Natanz. In 2020, an explosion occurred at Natanz, which Iran termed sabotage. In 2021, another attack disrupted its power system. Iran has consistently blamed Israel for these attacks.
