A Pakistani carpenter has told Sky News he warned a British couple who have been detained in Iran not to travel to dangerous parts of Balochistan.
Khalid Mehmood, 30, said he had been looking forward to meeting Craig and Lindsay Foreman after they told him they expected to cross the border from Iran on 20 January and then travel to Quetta, the capital of Balochistan – a province of Pakistan.
He said hasn’t spoken to the couple for weeks.
Mr and Ms Foreman were reportedly held in Iran in January but the country’s state-run media revealed last week they had been accused of security-related offences.
According to Ms Foreman’s social media, the couple were on a motorbiking trip across the globe to Australia as part of a positive psychology mission.
“I am very happy whenever any foreigners come to explore Pakistan,” Mr Mehmood, who is based in Islamabad, told Sky News, explaining he had recommended “beautiful cities” for the couple to visit.
“I stopped them going to some Balochistan cities because they are not safe,” he said.
On 30 December, Ms Foreman posted about how they were about to face “one of the most challenging” parts of their trip: Iran and Pakistan.
Ms Foreman’s most recent Facebook post was shared on 3 January and detailed a meeting with a mullah in Isfahan, a city in central Iran.
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Iranian state media said on Wednesday that a man and woman were in custody on security-related charges in the south-eastern city of Kerman. The couple’s family later confirmed their identity.
Mr Mehmood said Ms Foreman had asked for travel advice from locals via Facebook and that she had been advised against travelling through the Balochistan belt, which runs from Taftan on the border with Iran to Quetta.
Social media users responding to Ms Foreman said people in the area drive cars and buses “like maniacs,” and truck drivers are “sleep deprived or high”.
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In a Facebook post, Ms Foreman explained how she and her husband had to change their original route after failing to get visas for Algeria.
The couple were planning to arrive in Brisbane, Australia, by 1 July, where Ms Foreman is due to attend a psychology conference.
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The Foreign Office warns people are at risk of “arrest, detention and a death sentence” if they travel to Iran.
It also advises against all travel to Balochistan, except the province’s southern coast.
A Foreign Office spokesperson earlier said: “We are providing consular assistance to two British nationals detained in Iran and are in contact with the local authorities.”
