Durand Line: The Fragile Frontier 

Syllabus: GS2/ International Relations

Context

• The collapse of peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan has brought renewed focus on the long-disputed Durand Line, one of South Asia’s most sensitive and contested borders.

Historical Background of the Durand Line

• The Durand Line is a roughly 2,640-kilometre frontier from the Iran border in the west to the China border in the east, passing through the Karakoram mountains, Hindu Kush ranges, and the Registan desert.
• It was delineated in 1893 through an agreement between Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, the Foreign Secretary of British India, and Emir Abdur Rahman Khan of Afghanistan.
• The agreement divided Pashtun tribal lands, split ethnic communities, and transferred control of Balochistan to British India.

Post-Partition Developments

• Pakistan inherited the Durand Line as its international border.
• Afghanistan, however, rejected the legitimacy of the agreement, arguing that it was a product of colonial coercion, limited in duration and never accepted by the Afghan people.
• Pashtunistan Demand: Pashtuns on both sides sought an independent state named Pashtunistan, further complicating Pakistan–Afghanistan relations.
• Taliban’s Position: Like previous Afghan governments, the Taliban also refuses to recognize the Durand Line as an international border.

Recent Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan

• Border Fencing by Pakistan: Pakistan began constructing a fence along the Durand Line in 2017 to curb insurgency and illegal crossings.
  • Afghanistan sees this as a unilateral and illegitimate move.
• Collapsed Peace Talks: The latest round of Pakistan–Taliban talks mediated by Turkey and Qatar failed, accompanied by cross-border firing and retaliatory operations.

Impact on the region

• Economic strain on Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s heavy reliance on transit trade through Pakistan makes any closure catastrophic for daily commerce and relief operations.
• Erosion of Pakistan’s Influence: Instability jeopardizes Pakistan’s ambition to serve as a trade corridor linking South Asia with Central Asia.
• Strategic Opportunity for India: Afghanistan may pursue closer economic ties with India (through Chabahar Port and the International North–South Transport Corridor), bypassing Pakistan.
• People-to-People Strain: Markets, border villages, and families straddling the frontier bear the brunt of disruptions.
• Security Concerns Over Terror Spillovers: Instability along the Durand Line increases the flow of arms, drugs and terror financing into the region.
  • Groups like LeT and JeM have historically used Afghanistan–Pakistan instability to regroup, posing risks for India.

Way Ahead

• Pakistan and Afghanistan must institutionalise regular security and border-management talks to prevent miscalculation and retaliatory escalation.
• Reopening border crossings under mutually agreed protocols will stabilise trade and reduce humanitarian distress.
• Confidence-building measures involving tribal elders, civil society and border communities can help manage local tensions.

Concluding remarks

• The turmoil along the Durand Line reflects deeper issues like colonial legacy, ethnic fragmentation, Pakistan’s coercive diplomacy, and persistent insecurity. 
• For lasting peace, both countries need sustained diplomatic engagement, respect for regional sensitivities, and cooperative security mechanisms.

Source: TH