ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Wednesday said that all border crossings with Iran remain fully operational, rejecting media reports suggesting closures amid heightened tensions in the region.
“This is to clarify that contrary to some media reports, all border crossings along the Pakistan-Iran border remain fully operational,” the Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Kham said in a statement.
Western media, citing official sources, said that Pakistan has closed its border crossing points with Iran for an indefinite period following Israel’s attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Pakistan on Tuesday began evacuating the families of its diplomats and staff, along with some non-essential personnel, from Iran amid escalating regional tensions.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs senior official cited by Radio Pakistan, despite the move, the Pakistan Embassy in Tehran and the Consulates will continue to remain functional.
Meanwhile, the government has started efforts to repatriate Pakistani nationals, including students, from Iran.
According to immigration officials on Monday, nearly 714 individuals have arrived in Pakistan via buses through the Taftan border crossing.
The returnees include citizens, traders, and drivers. Authorities noted that special security measures have been implemented in light of the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.
Officials reported that three buses carrying 154 Pakistani students arrived at Taftan from Tehran. After completing immigration procedures, the students will be transferred to Pakistan House.
Israel launches strikes on Iran
Israel launched wide-scale air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites, and private residences on Friday, killing top commanders, scientists, and civilians.
It claimed the strikes are part of a broader operation codenamed ‘Rising Lion’ to deter Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which Tehran has consistently denied, saying its uranium enrichment programme is for civilian purposes.
Iran responded with its own missile and drone strikes, claiming hitting key military and intelligence targets in Israel.
Death toll in Iran rises
Washington-based group Human Rights Activists put the total death toll in Iran at 585 people, with 1,326 others wounded, the Washington Post reported.
The group added that it had identified 239 of those killed in Israeli strikes as civilians and 126 as security personnel.
In its last update on Monday, Iran’s health ministry said 224 Iranians had been killed and over 1,000 injured, most of them civilians.
So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel, more than 800 have been wounded and over 3,800 have been evacuated from their homes, CNN quoted a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office as saying.
Iran has launched more than 400 missiles and hundreds of drones towards Israel since Friday, the office said.
It added that the strikes have hit 40 sites across Israel, resulting in nearly 19,000 damage claims submitted to the tax authority.
