September 22, 2025
By Allah Dad Azhar
PANJGUR
The closure of the Panjgur border for the past three weeks has left thousands of residents unemployed, as the district’s only viable source of livelihood remains tied to cross-border trade.
In response to the crisis, a large number of people gathered for a rally-style press conference under the leadership of the Border Bachao Tehreek (Save the Border Movement) and the Haq Do Tehreek (Give Us Rights Movement). The gathering reflected the rising frustration of the community, whose survival depends on border commerce.
At the rally, Border Bachao Tehreek leader Saud Daad addressed the crowd. A sea of anxious faces listened in silence, reflecting uncertainty about their economic future. Saud emphasized that the border has always been the community’s main source of income, and its closure is not only crippling the local economy but also fueling instability in law and order.
“When borders are open, business activities flourish and the working class gets daily employment,” Saud told Voicepk. “With the closure of the border, it is this very class that suffers the most. Parents who had enrolled their children in private schools can no longer pay fees. Many children are being forced to drop out of school because of this situation. Our demand is simple — the closure must end so that people can regain their jobs and work with dignity.”
Among those hit hardest are daily wage laborers like Sher Ali, who earns his living by loading and offloading vehicles at the border. “We get Rs. 500 for each vehicle,” he explained, his face marked by the toughness of years of physical work. “That money is what we use to buy food and groceries for our families. But for the past 15 days, ever since the border was closed, we have been suffering the consequences of no work and no pay.”
The crisis has also drawn political voices. Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader Jasim Nawab, who also serves as the party’s District Human Rights Secretary, stressed that the border closure has turned into a full-fledged human rights issue. With no alternative livelihoods or government jobs available in Panjgur, the community’s survival remains entirely dependent on border trade.
“The problem is not limited to Panjgur alone — it has affected the entire province,” Nawab said. “There are no government schools here, and the few private ones that exist depend on families being able to pay fees. If the schools do not get paid, how will the education system survive?”
The call for urgent action is growing louder. Saud Dad warned that if the borders remain closed, the movement will escalate. “We hope that the borders are opened soon,” he said. “If not, there will be protests across Balochistan.”
The border economy has already been severely disrupted. From fuel stations to schools and from daily wage laborers to small businesses, every sector linked to cross-border trade has been hit. For Panjgur’s people, reopening the border is not merely an economic demand — it is about sustaining life itself.