Pakistan suspends road travel to Iran, Iraq citing security concerns
Thousands of Pakistani citizens visit Iran and Iraq annually for religious tourism and to visit religious sites, including observing Arbaeen (Arabic for 'forty'), a significant religious occasion in Shia Islam. It marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussain, who was 'martyred' in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.
Travelers to Iran and Iraq by road have often been targeted in sectarian attacks by armed groups in Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan province, which shares a border with Iran.
Islamabad's decision comes in the wake of a rise in militant attacks in the province by ethnic Baloch militant groups, who demand a greater share of the province's mineral resources from Islamabad.
'After extensive consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Balochistan Government, and security agencies, it has been decided that Zaireen will not be allowed to travel to Iraq and Iran by road for Arbaeen this year,' Naqvi wrote on X.
After extensive consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Balochistan Government, and security agencies, it has been decided that Zaireen will not be allowed to travel to Iraq and Iran by road for Arbaeen this year. This difficult decision was taken in the interest of…
— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) July 27, 2025
The interior minister said this 'difficult decision' was taken in the interest of public safety and national security.
However, he said Shia pilgrims will be allowed to travel by air to Iran and Iraq.
'Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to arrange maximum flights to facilitate their pilgrimage in the coming days,' he wrote.
A Pakistani immigration official told Arab News earlier this month that Islamabad plans to overhaul its pilgrimage travel policy to Iraq, Iran and Syria after authorities confirmed around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims went missing or overstayed in the three countries over the past decade.
Pakistan's Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf revealed this month that 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims had either overstayed or gone missing in these countries without any official record of their whereabouts.
In response, Pakistani authorities have scrapped the long-standing 'Salar system,' in which private group leaders managed travel logistics, and are introducing a new centralized, computerized structure to track and regulate pilgrim movement more effectively.
Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Pakistan's director general of Immigration and Passports, said a new Ziyarat Management Policy has been finalized by the government under which pilgrims will only be allowed to travel in organized groups, and licensed tour operators will be held directly responsible for ensuring that all group members return to Pakistan before their visas expire.
Any operator found violating the policy or failing to ensure the return of all pilgrims will have their license canceled.
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