August 4, 2025
By Nadeem Khan
QUETTA
Pilgrims from Parachinar (Khyber Pukhtunkhwa) have been staying at the Punjabi Imambargah in Quetta, for the past week, waiting for the reopening of the by-road route to Iran. But for now this seems improbable.
Syed Sartaj Hussain, one of these travelers, has been forced to spend yet another night in Baluchistan’s capital city, hoping that the government will lift the ban from the by-road route so that they can travel to Iran, and carry on with pilgrimage to the him to the holy sites there and in Iraq.
Hussain says that the recent tension between Iran and Israel is what has has led to the border closure, and now he cannot travel to Karbala during the month of Muharram.
“Because of this conflict, we spent a week in Hangu under extreme heat… and then we were sent back,” he complained. “Travelling by road comes to around 150,000 rupees, and air travel costs over 300,000 rupees – I cannot afford either.”
Ban causes distress to pilgrims
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi recently announced that, due to security concerns, pilgrims will not be allowed to travel to Iran by road. This decision has caused deep concern among the pilgrims.
Meanwhile, for many families it became serious cause for concern when the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Yousaf, first claimed that 40,000 pilgrims travelling from Iran, Iraq and Syria from Pakistan had either not returned, or had ‘gone missing’.
Later however, he retracted his statement.
“It is absolutely not the case that thousands of Pakistanis are missing. This was actually the result of a record-keeping misunderstanding,” he said.
Others have said that certain pilgrims to Iran have allegedly joined Iran-backed militias in the Middle East and are now participating in wars. The names Fatemiyoun (Afghan-Shia) and Zainabiyoun (Pakistani-Shia) have often been mentioned in this context. Last year, Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior declared the Zainabiyoun militia a ‘banned organization’.
Syed Lahik Hussain says that the days of the ‘Arbaeen’ are sacred for Shia-Muslims, and millions of pilgrims from around the world visit the holy sites in these countries.
“We save money for years – therefore it is heartbreaking that the government has imposed a ban,” he said. “‘Arbaeen’ is the purpose of our lives. Without Muharram and the Ahl al-Bayt, we do not consider life to be life,” he said.
He added that even if he had billions of rupees, he would still prefer to travel by road because “the walking journey from Najaf to Karbala offers blessings and spiritual elevation with every step.”
Stuck in Quetta, the pilgrims say they must stay here in the hope that the government will reverse its decision, enabling them to travel to Iran and Iraq. And there are many challenges they have.
“We have children with us, and we are facing severe difficulties here in Quetta,” Lahik Hussain said.