Rapid Fire
Durand Line
- 01 Dec 2025
- 3 min read
Conflict has resurfaced along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, with the Taliban accusing Pakistan of conducting air strikes near the Durand Line.
- Historical Origin: The Durand Line was drawn between British India and Afghanistan by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, then Foreign Secretary, and Emir Abdur Rahman Khan of Afghanistan.
- It runs 2,600 km from the Iran border in the west to the China border in the east, cutting across the Karakoram range and the Registan desert.
- Anglo-Afghan Wars: Afghanistan became strategically vital during the 1800s as Russia and the British Empire vied for influence in Central Asia.
- The British invaded Afghanistan in 1839, but were pushed back during the First Anglo-Afghan War.
- They invaded again in 1878, won the Second Anglo-Afghan War, and secured the Treaty of Gandamak (1879), which gave them control over Afghanistan’s foreign policy.
- In 1893, Sir Henry Mortimer Durand and Emir Abdur Rahman Khan agreed to create the Durand Line.
- It split Pashtun tribal areas, placed Balochistan under British India, and established the Wakhan Corridor as a buffer between Russia and Britain.
- The Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919) ended with the Treaty of Rawalpindi, which restored Afghanistan’s control over its foreign affairs and reaffirmed the Durand Line.
- The British invaded Afghanistan in 1839, but were pushed back during the First Anglo-Afghan War.
- Post-1947 Inheritance: Pakistan inherited the border after Partition, but Afghanistan refused to recognise it, calling it a colonial creation.
- Pashtunistan Issue: Pashtun groups on both sides demanded a separate Pashtunistan, deepening bilateral tensions.
- Taliban Position: All Afghan governments, including the Taliban, reject the Durand Line’s legitimacy and press claims over Pashtun regions.
| Read more: Durand Line: Afghanistan and Pakistan |
