QUETTA: Inspector General Frontier Corps (IGFC) South Balochistan Major General Bilal Sarfraz and MPA and Khadim of Washuk Haji Mir Zabid Ali Reki jointly inaugurated the Katagar Zero Point border crossing gate for public movement after four years of closure.
At the opening ceremony, MPA Haji Mir Zabid Ali Reki expressed great joy over the reopening, saying that the reopening of the Zero Point border gate is a moment of happiness for the people of Mashkel. He added that residents would now face no difficulty traveling to and from neighboring Iran.
He further said that just as the Zero Point corridor gate has been reopened today, the Guzzar border is equally vital for the livelihoods of thousands of families in Mashkel, Washuk district, and surrounding areas. The continued closure of the Guzzar border has caused hardship for the people of Mashkel. He appealed to the IGFC South Balochistan to kindly consider the public’s demand to reopen the Guzzar border, which would be no less than a festive occasion for the border residents.
IGFC South Balochistan Major General Bilal Sarfraz, addressing the gathering, praised the people of Mashkel and Washuk as peaceful and hospitable citizens, acknowledging that the closure of the Guzzar border has indeed caused them difficulties. He assured the public that, just as the Katagar Zero Point border gate has been reopened today, the Guzzar border in Mashkel will also be reopened within this month, Insha’Allah (God willing).
The inauguration ceremony was attended by a large number of notable figures, including Commandant Mashkel Rifles Muhammad Asif, Assistant Commissioner Mashkel Ahmad Zaib, renowned religious scholar and Tehsil Ameer JUI Maulana Muhammad Yaqoob, tribal elders, political and social leaders such as Sardar Daulat Khan Reki, Haji Mir Muhammad Kareem Reki, Maulvi Shakarullah Ahrar, Mir Kareem Jan, Vice Chairman Mir Akasha Malazai, Mir Haroon Reki, Mir Abdul Basit, Haji Muhammad Khan Reki, Haji Malik Shah Reki, Sardar Hameed Dogar, and several others.
The participants expressed gratitude to IGFC South Balochistan Major General Bilal Sarfraz and MPA Haji Mir Zabid Ali Reki for reopening the Zero Point border crossing, and welcomed the announcement regarding the expected reopening of the Guzzar border later this month.
They voiced hope that IGFC South Balochistan would take into account the economic hardships and poverty faced by the people of Mashkel and Washuk, and would lift the closure of the Guzzar border soon, freeing the border residents from prolonged mental and financial distress.