Balochistan: Women and Children Stage Sit-In Protest at Reg Malek Over Border Closure by Iran’s Quds Force

DOZZAAP (ZAHEDAN): A group of Baloch women and children held a protest sit-in today in the border town of Reg Malek, located in Iranian Occupied Balochistan in Southeast of Iran demanding the reopening of the Rotak border crossing. The crossing, which has been closed for the past six months by Iran’s Quds Force, is a vital economic lifeline for residents in the region.

The protesters, many of whom were female heads of household, blocked the main road of the town while holding placards calling for immediate action. “This crossing has been closed for six months and it has destroyed our lives. Our children’s bread and medicine came through this route,” one of the women told local sources.

The closure of the Rotak crossing has caused severe shortages of essential goods, fuel, and daily necessities. It has also disrupted the only means of income for many local families, especially those dependent on informal fuel trade.

One protester voiced frustration at the high costs being demanded by authorities for basic access: “The officials won’t even listen to us. They’re asking for 20 million tomans just to allow a car to pass. How much income do Baloch people even have?”

The border closure is part of a broader joint action by Iran and Pakistan, who have sealed the historic Goldsmith Line, a colonial-era demarcation, cutting off Baloch communities living on either side of the border.

The move has been widely criticised for targeting Baloch livelihoods, particularly the cross-border fuel trade, which many rely on for survival in the absence of formal employment opportunities.

Reports from across the region, in Pakistan Occupied Balochistan spanning cities such as Panjgur, Dalbandin, Mirjaveh, Saravan, and Sarbaz, indicate growing economic hardship and social unrest among the Baloch population following the border restrictions.

Baloch activists have condemned the closure of the Goldsmith border as a coordinated campaign by Iran and Pakistan aimed at collective punishment. They argue it is intended to create a humanitarian crisis and force Baloch citizens to abandon their homeland.

The protest at Reg Malek marks a rare public demonstration in an area heavily surveilled by security Iranian forces and highlights the mounting desperation among Baloch people in Iranian Occupied Balochistan, who have long faced systemic discrimination, underdevelopment, and political marginalisation.