THE government’s decision to ban travel to Iraq via Iran by the land route for Arbaeen seems both abrupt and arbitrary, coming just two weeks before the key religious event. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi tweeted on Sunday that the “difficult decision” had been taken in the interest of “public safety and national security”. He did not elaborate how pilgrims’ travel by land posed threats to public safety and national security. Iran and Iraq do not appear to have issues with zaireen travelling by land; the problem seems to be a local one. Shortly before the minister’s announcement, the Iranian embassy........

© Dawn