Despite the fact that Sistan and Baluchestan province has valuable tourist and historical attractions and, due to its unique geographical conditions such as being located in a transit position, has great potential for development and prosperity; unemployment and abundant talents at the border have increased Sistan and Baluchestan’s share in fuel smuggling. In this regard, a few months ago, the Yazd Aftab newspaper reported that Mohammad Yousef Reisi, the head coach of the Iranian national cricket team, was selling gasoline in a street corner in Nikshahr, Sistan and Baluchestan province, to make a living.

The unemployment rate in Sistan and Baluchestan province, the largest province in the country, which according to the statistics center of Iran has a population of approximately 2.5 million people, has been reported as 13.9%. However, if you have ever traveled to the center of this province, namely Zahedan, you will clearly see the inaccuracy of such statistics; while in the outskirts of cities, this situation will be even more severe and many provincial officials also acknowledge this reality. For example, Ali Asghar Mirshakari, the security and law enforcement deputy of the governor of Sistan and Baluchestan, announced last month that the unemployment rate in the region was over 39%.

On the other hand, with the increase in fuel prices in recent years and its rationing, as well as the closure of borders, the question arises as to what extent citizens benefit from this difficult and risky business and whether buying and selling fuel is considered a job (street vending) in this region?

In order to find the answer to this question and more details about how fuel is smuggled by people in Sistan and Baluchestan, the peace line has gone to Mr. “Basat”, who buys and sells gasoline and diesel. The full name of this Baloch citizen remains confidential…

Mr. Bast, what are the reasons that people in the region engage in fuel smuggling?

The reason for this unemployment is the region. The youth have no job, occupation, or income and are forced to do this work.

In this path, which age groups are mostly seen? Do children and women also engage in trafficking?

Children who are not many, I have never seen before. Most of them are young, but I have also seen 2-3 women who, out of desperation and lack of income, go and sell gasoline on the other side of the border.

What is the unemployment rate in the region?

What we see is that around 80% of the youth are unemployed. The remaining 20% are usually employed, either as shop owners or working with their fathers who own a shop or property, which most of them do not have access to.

What are the problems that arise for people in the way of fuel smuggling?

There are a lot of problems. For example, there are bandits on the road who steal money on the way back, or the car breaks down on the way in the desert and there is no one to help and the phone doesn’t have signal, so you are left wondering what to do. And even worse, the police may shoot at us and most of the time they don’t even stop to ask questions. If we do get caught, we could be fined up to 7-8 million tomans.

I should also mention that there are a lot of people who are targeted by the security forces on this path. We hear or see news of one or two shootings on a weekly basis.

Another case is that the car may catch fire while refueling; for example, I once witnessed such a scene with my own eyes.

Usually, how are petroleum products produced for smuggling and which product has a larger share in smuggling?

Oil, gasoline, and diesel are products that are smuggled, but among these three, diesel is smuggled the most.

Those who have smart fuel cards collect their quotas and then sell them to us monthly or pass them themselves from the border. The fuel card can even be purchased from surrounding cities; well, there are those who consume less gasoline and are constantly at home and do not use any gasoline at all… More than the ways I mentioned for you, it is prepared.

Mr. Bast, how much profit and income do citizens make from this way? For example, how much profit is there per gallon or barrel of fuel, and on average, how much diesel or gasoline can a person transport during a month?

For example, in Iran, if we buy a barrel for 250,000 tomans, we sell it for 300,000 tomans in Pakistan. On average, during the month, if we assume that a person’s car does not break down, and they do not have any other problems, and they can constantly go and come back, they will make a profit of one million tomans, which, with this money, besides themselves, they usually have to provide bread for several people. Of course, usually either the car breaks down or other problems arise, which makes it impossible to constantly go back and forth across the border…

Does it mean that you have chosen this difficult and risky job just for a profit of 50,000 tomans per barrel?!

Yes, it’s only for 50 thousand tomans! We don’t have the capital to start a business and open a shop. If we don’t do this, what will we do!? If we don’t do this, we won’t even have a monthly income of a thousand tomans! Eventually, we have to find a way to make a living…

Where are the main fuel smuggling routes?

Previously, the border was through Chabahar, but now it is completely closed and currently most people go through Saravan and Sarbaz and travel to Turbat in Pakistan.

Are there any border markets in the area? If not, what has become of them?

It has been a long time since there have been any such markets, and the reason for that is the closing of borders. But when these markets existed, unemployment was much lower and most young people were employed.

Before the border was closed, what was the situation like in the region and what is the difference between then and now?

At that time, the situation was much better. The reason for this was that the open border caused the market to flourish. Well, our region is completely dependent on the border and when the border was open, trade and exchange of goods took place. For example, they would bring flour from this side and could bring rice and clothes.

Another job that existed for young people when the borders were open was fixing broken roads. If there was a road that was damaged and caused difficulty for passing through, young people would go and fix it. This way, even if a young person earned a small income (a few thousand tomans), they could at least afford their bread and would no longer have to engage in smuggling.

Since ancient times, the only source of income and work for people in our region has been through this border and there has never been a workshop or factory here, nor has agriculture been very prosperous…

Thank you for accepting the request for a conversation about peace…