Acting Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs of the Taliban, Noorullah Noori, recently stated that Afghanistan does not have an official border with Pakistan. This statement was reported by Ariana News and has since sparked a debate about the legitimacy of the “Durand Line” that separates the two countries.
As per Noori, the Durand Line, a 2,670-kilometre (1,660 mi) international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, is merely a “hypothetical line” and not an officially recognized border. He further noted that there will be issues at certain checkpoints such as Torkham that the Taliban will have to address.
“We have a hypothetical line with Pakistan, we don’t have an official border with Pakistan, and we don’t have a zero point, and there is only a hypothetical line between us,” he said.
Historical Context of the Durand Line
The Durand Line was established in 1893 as a result of negotiations between Abdur Rahman Khan, the emir of Afghanistan, and Mortimer Durand, the secretary of the Indian colonial administration. The line was intended to delineate the respective spheres of influence of Afghanistan and the British Indian Empire. Despite its historical establishment, the Durand Line remains a contentious issue, with some countries recognizing it as the official border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Implications of the Dispute
The dispute over the Durand Line has led to several incidents in recent times. In late December and early January, Afghan Taliban soldiers intervened to block an ongoing Pakistani project to erect fencing along the shared border. This has led to increased tensions between the two countries and has implications for regional stability.
The Durand Line, which cuts through the Pashtun territories, has been described as one of the most dangerous borders in the world from a geopolitical and geostrategic perspective. The line remains largely unrecognized in Afghanistan, and this lack of recognition has been a source of conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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