Pak–Afghan Border Dispute

Tensions have sharply escalated between Pakistan and Afghanistan after cross-border airstrikes and retaliatory fire along the Durand Line, reviving one of South Asia’s oldest border disputes.

About Pak–Afghan Border Dispute:

What it is?

• The Durand Line is a 2,640 km-long border demarcated in 1893 between British India and Afghanistan by Sir Mortimer Durand and Emir Abdur Rahman Khan.
• Intended as an administrative boundary, it split the Pashtun tribal heartland, dividing families, ethnic communities, and trade routes that had existed for centuries without borders.

Origin of the Clash:

• The line was accepted by Abdur Rahman under British pressure but was never recognised as a permanent international boundary by later Afghan governments.
• When Pakistan was created in 1947, Afghanistan rejected the Durand Line, claiming the right to unify Pashtun regions within Pakistan’s northwest.
• Afghanistan even voted against Pakistan’s admission to the United Nations, marking the start of a long-standing territorial and ethnic dispute.

Historical Timeline:

• 1947–61: Repeated breakdowns of diplomatic ties over the “Pashtunistan” issue.
• 1979–89: The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan turned the border into a Cold War battleground, with Pakistan hosting millions of Afghan refugees and mujahideen.
• 1990s: Pakistan-backed Taliban rise to power, worsening Afghan suspicions of Pakistani interference.
• 2001–2021: post – 9/11, both sides accused each other of harbouring terrorists — Pakistan sheltering the Afghan Taliban, and Afghanistan hosting the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
• 2017 onwards: Pakistan built a border fence, which Kabul protested as a violation of sovereignty.
• 2025: The dispute reignited after Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan provinces targeting TTP militants, followed by Afghan retaliation.

Key Features of the Dispute:

• The Durand Line divides Pashtun tribes, creating deep ethnic and cultural fault lines.
• Frequent border skirmishes, refugee influx, and militant movements make the area volatile.
• Both nations use cross-border militancy as leverage, complicating peace efforts.
• The issue symbolizes colonial legacy and mutual mistrust, with no formal border agreement post-1947.

Implications for India:

• Strategic Leverage: India gains diplomatic space as the Pakistan–Afghanistan standoff weakens Islamabad’s influence in the region.
• Regional Stability: Instability along the Durand Line threatens broader South Asian security, affecting India’s outreach to Central Asia via Chabahar Port and INSTC routes.
• Counterterrorism: A destabilized frontier risks spillover of extremist networks, including those hostiles to India.