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Afghanistan does not officially recognize the international border with Pakistan.

When Pakistan joined the United Nations in 1947, Afghanistan announced that all previous Durand Line agreements, including the subsequent Anglo-Afghan treaties upholding it, were invalid because Afghan rulers were coerced by British pressure.

Around the same time, the Afghanistan government encourage the 42,590,516 Pashtun people inside Pakistan to have their own separate state inside that country. If Pashtunistan were to happen, Afghanistan territory would expand all the way to the Indus River, comprising nearly 60 percent of Pakistani territory.

Pakistan will likely continue to consider the Durand Line as settled, and the current problem as a security issue alone. Afghanistan will underline the unsettled nature of the border as the root cause of the problem. It is predicted that these tensions will worsen when Americans depart from Afghanistan.

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Photo: Armed Militants on the Pakistani Border (1929)

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Photo: Armed Militants on the Pakistani Border (1929)

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When this photo was taken, Pakistan was part of India, a British colony. The men are Pashtuns, one of two major ethnic groups in the area. The other group is the Punjabis.

There are periodic tensions between Pakistani and Afghan security personnel along the border. In the past couple of years, clashes have often erupted when Afghan troops allegedly opened fire on Pakistani soldiers trying to erect a security fence on the disputed border.

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Pashtuns and Punjabis; Photo: Pashtuns in Pakistan (2020)

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Pashtuns and Punjabis; Photo: Pashtuns in Pakistan (2020)

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Most Punjabis and Pashtuns are Sunni Muslim. Punjabis are the largest ethnic group in Pakistan. Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

The British established the Durand Line after conquering the Pashtuns. 85% of the Durand Line follows rivers and other physical features, not ethnic boundaries. It split the Pashtuns into two separate countries.

Afghanistan governs all the Pashtuns on one side of the Durand Line, while Pakistan governs all the Pashtuns on the other. The Pashtuns on the Pakistan side of the border made up more than half of the Pashtun population, but are now under the control of the Punjabis. Because the Durand Line was drawn without regard for the ethnic groups in the area, much of the conflict stems from territorial claims and cultural differences.

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British Colonialism; Photo: Khyber Pass (2011)

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British Colonialism; Photo: Khyber Pass (2011)

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The Khyber Pass cuts a 32 kilometer (20 mile) path across the Safed Koh Mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Khyber Pass has been a strategic military pass for centuries.

In 1893, to secure control of the Khyber Pass, the British initiated negotiations. Diplomat Sir Mortimer Durand was sent to Kabul, Afghanistan negotiate an agreement to delineate the border between Afghanistan and British India. The new border, dubbed the Durand Line, divided the Pashtun tribal lands in two.

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The Durand Line serves as the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The 2,640-kilometer (1,640-mile) line, established in 1893, was reached in an agreement between Abdur Rahman Khan and Sir Mortimer Durand. Take note that only Afghanistan and the British Indian Government have decided on its placement. When the Durand Line was created in 1893, Pakistan was still a part of India, which was controlled by the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom ruled India from 1858 until India’s independence in 1947. Pakistan also became a nation in 1947.

Post-independence (of India and Pakistan), the Durand Line has continued to cause controversy for the people who live there.

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Citations (Padlet distorts the MLA format)

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Citations (Padlet distorts the MLA format)

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"The Durand Line and Afghan Pakistani Clashes." International Affairs Review, 27 Nov. 2019, internationalaffairsreview.com/2019/11/27/the-durand-line-and-afghan-pakistani-clashes/.

"The Durand Line: A British Legacy Plaguing Afghan-Pakistani Relations." Middle East Institute, mei.edu/publications/durand-line-british-legacy-plaguing-afghan-pakistani-relations.

National Geographic Society. "Border." National Geographic Society, 9 Oct. 2012, nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/border/. Accessed  2021.

---. "The Durand Line." National Geographic Society, 21 Jan. 2011, nationalgeographic.org/article/durand-line/.

"Pakistan’s Diverse Cultures: Pashtun Culture Day." Runway Pakistan, 24 Sept. 2020, runwaypakistan.com/pakistans-diverse-cultures-pashtun-culture-day/.

"'Pashtunistan' Issues Linger Behind Row." RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, 24 Mar. 2006, rferl.org/a/1067048.html.

"Why the Durand Line Matters." The Diplomat – The Diplomat is a Current-affairs Magazine for the Asia-Pacific, with News and Analysis on Politics, Security, Business, Technology and Life Across the Region, 21 Feb. 2014, thediplomat.com/2014/02/why-the-durand-line-matters/.