Residents involved in border trade in Turbat staged a protest on Thursday against the closure of the Abdoi border crossing, saying the government’s measures had cut off their main source of income.
The rally, led by Border Movement figure Sardar Wali Yalanzai, began at Ghulam Nabi Chowk and ended at Shaheed Fida Chowk, where protesters chanted slogans against the government and called the restrictions an “economic blockade”.
Protesters said the weeks-long closure had severely affected livelihoods in the region, where cross-border fuel and goods trading remains a primary source of income.
Yalanzai and other speakers accused authorities of repeatedly assuring traders that the crossing would reopen “today or tomorrow”, but said the promises had amounted to “false hopes”.
They said vehicles had travelled through the Sorap–Mand border route but “not a single vehicle has returned” to supply fuel, while Iranian vehicles were also being blocked from entering the area.
Protesters demanded that the Abdoi crossing be restored to its previous status and that trade activity be allowed to resume to prevent further economic hardship for local communities.