WHILE the ceasefire agreement might have brought down hostilities and the borders reopened after the weeklong fierce fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the situation remains extremely volatile. The Afghan Taliban leaders continue to insist that the border between the two countries, also known as the Durand Line is “imaginary”, and question its legitimacy.
Addressing an online press conference soon after signing the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan in Doha, the Afghan Taliban defence minister emphasised that the “hypothetical” border was not discussed in any part of the accord. It may be so, but the very tenor of his statement is seen as a provocation.
True, no Afghan government since the creation of Pakistan has recognised the Durand Line as a legitimate border between the two countries, but the current Taliban administration has raised the issue far more aggressively. There has been a marked intensity in their stance on the Durand Line, particularly over the past few months as tensions with Pakistan escalated.
The conservative Islamic regime in Afghanistan, which is yet to be recognised by any country other than Russia, seems to have taken up the cause of Afghan nationalism to divert international scrutiny from its patronage of transnational militant groups operating from their soil. Mullah Yakub’s statement following the Doha meeting indicates that Kabul is still not willing to show any moderation.
The current Taliban administration has raised the Durand Line issue far more aggressively.
It gives an ironic twist to the widespread international perception that the Afghan Taliban were a proxy of Pakistan. The very fact that much of the current Afghan Taliban leadership led their resistance against American occupation from inside Pakistan had reinforced that view. What was overlooked was the fact that it was largely an alliance of expediency. Relations between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan during that period were, however, not very smooth. Yet no one expected this level of hostility.
Even the first Afghan Taliban government of Mullah Omar, which was very dependent on Pakistan’s support, refused to recognise the Durand Line as a legitimate border, although it never made an issue of it. But some Taliban leaders at that time too were quite vocal on the matter, calling the divide an artificial line that needed to be eliminated.
Established in 1893 by the British and the Afghan king Abdur Rehman Khan, the 2,300-kilometre Durand Line, which cuts across KP and Balochistan, was supposed to demarcate the frontier between British India and Afghanistan. When Pakistan became independent, it inherited the agreement as one defining the country’s western frontier. It is recognised as a legitimate border under international law. But Afghanistan has refused to accept the divide. The Durand Line dispute was the main reason why Afghanistan delayed its recognition of Pakistan as an independent state.
Although over the years there has been de facto recognition of the Durand Line as a border by successive governments in Kabul, tensions have often resulted in border clashes and blockades. Yet the fierce fighting last week, which reportedly also involved Pakistani air force jets bombing Kabul and other Afghan cities, has not been witnessed before.
Pakistan asserts that its actions were in retaliation to the constant armed provocation from across the border and have been in accordance with international law. There has been an unprecedented rise in militant attacks in KP and Balochistan since the return of the Taliban government in Kabul more than four years ago. This year has been the bloodiest in the last one decade and has left hundreds of Pakistani security personnel dead. The reported air strikes were a message to the Taliban administration that the cost of patronising militant groups would be high.
Although the Taliban administration has agreed to a ceasefire, there’s no indication yet that it would still be willing to take action against the TTP that it considers their jihadi brethren. According to some Pakistani officials who’ve been involved in negotiations with the Kabul government, there is also the question of the regime’s capacity to take action against well-armed groups with close ties to the local Afghan Taliban commanders.
Then there is a fear of TTP fighters joining the Islamic State, which remains active in parts of Afghanistan. Most alarming are the reports of some other transnational groups reorganising in the border regions. It’s not only extremely dangerous for the security of regional states but for Afghanistan itself. In this situation, the Taliban’s provocative stance on the legitimacy of the existing border with Pakistan appears highly dangerous.
One plausible explanation for the Afghan Taliban raising the question of the legitimacy of the Durand Line is to mobilise public support particularly in the Pakhtun belt under the banner of nationalism as the country continues to face serious socioeconomic challenges. The country is still facing international sanctions because of its retrogressive policy of barring women from work and restricting their right to education.
It seems that some of the punitive actions taken by the Pakistan government, including the move to expel hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees, has worsened Islamabad’s differences with the Taliban government. It was certainly a very unwise move by Pakistan and violates human rights. Such policies have fuelled public anger.
Indeed, one can understand why Pakistan is losing patience with the cross-border terrorist attacks on its security forces. Nevertheless, Islamabad should exercise prudence. It is not in the interest of a country facing internal and external challenges to escalate the situation. It was certainly a wise decision to agree to a ceasefire and sit at the negotiating table. The conflict has affected the lives of millions of people on both sides of the border.
While the Doha meeting has produced a ceasefire, one hopes that the next round of talks, to be held in Istanbul soon, will help remove many more hurdles in the way of peace in the region. The involvement of regional countries in bringing down tensions has been most positive. It is in the interest of both countries to settle all their differences through negotiations.
The writer is an author and journalist.
X: @hidhussain
Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2025
