600 Iranian lorries are detained at the Pakistani border, costing $2.2 million every day due to new customs regulations.

According to a news release, a Tehran delegate informed a Pakistani parliamentary panel this week that Iranian vehicles stalled on the Pakistani border for the previous six months as a result of new customs regulations had suffered an estimated daily economic loss of $2.2 million.

Last year, Pakistan forced Iranian carriers to furnish a bank guarantee equal to the customs taxes and charges paid on products arriving at the National Logistics Corporation (NLC) Dry Port Quetta through the Iranian border crossing of Taftan. Islamabad is not required to provide Tehran with the same assurances.

The Senate Standing Committee on Finance said in a news release following its meeting that “the ongoing crisis at the Pakistan-Iran border, where over 600 trucks carrying trade goods have been stuck due to customs officials demanding court orders, was one of the most pressing issues discussed.”

Each truck carried supplies valued at about $11,000, according to the Iranian official at the meeting, and the delay was costing traders around $100 per truck every day, which ultimately increased the price of goods for consumers.

According to the statement, “an estimated daily economic loss of $2.2 million has resulted from the drop in the number of trucks crossing the border in the past six months.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would now receive a letter from the senate committee asking him to bring up the issue at the upcoming cabinet meeting.

“This problem has escalated to a critical stage. It is an issue of honor for the country as well as financial losses. The issue is extremely worrisome for the entire nation,” committee chairman Saleem Mandiwalla stated.