Bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have always been tense. A major bone of contention between the two neighbours is the colonial legacy – the Durand Line, which passes through the Pashtun-dominated tribal areas. With the growing influence of the Taliban in an already uncertain environment, this tension has increased further in the last few weeks of 2021. According to reports, the Pakistani army tried to build a fence by seizing land up to 15 kilometers inside the Afghan border up to Chahar Burjak district , which was foiled by the Taliban. Earlier, such an attempt was also made in the Nangarh area.

Pakistan continues to call it a legally mandated international border and claims to have completed 90 per cent of the fencing, calling it a façade, leaving Afghanistan with no choice but to accept it.

To put the border dispute in perspective, it is important to understand the circumstances that led to the signing of the Durand Agreement and the declaration of the Durand Line. In Afghanistan, irrespective of those in power, the Durand Line is considered a ‘ historic mistake ’ and a remnant of British colonialism that Afghan citizens do not want to accept. After the ouster of the US-controlled government in August 2021, the Taliban have strengthened their position, saying that the fence has separated families , and the group’s commander Maulvi Sanaullah Sangin has said in a statement that they will not accept any new attempts to build the alleged fence. Pakistan, on the other hand, continues to call it a legally mandated international border and claims to have completed 90% ofpakistan attack on afghanistan the fencing , calling it a fait accompli, leaving Afghanistan with no choice but to accept it.

Reasons for the controversy arising

With the end of the Durrani dynasty in the 18th century, the Pashtun empire disintegrated and the British Empire began to dominate the region, but it was difficult to control remote areas. When two Anglo-Afghan wars (1832–42 and 1878–80) failed to expand British influence and control the warring tribal groups, the British Empire decided to change its policies. Faced with the threat of expanding Russian influence in Central Asia and the potential attack by Pashtun tribes on their own populations in these areas, a multi-layered security system – a three-layered frontier – was put forward with three concentric borders: first, the foothills of the Sulaiman Mountains, which were formally occupied by the British; second, the area where vassal states under British ‘influence’ existed; and the last area, which was Afghanistan itself.

Foreign Secretary Sir Mortimer Durand was sent to sign an agreement with the Emir of Afghanistan, Abdul Rahman, on 12 November 1893, demarcating the Pashtun-inhabited region with the Durand Line, creating a wedge between people who shared a similar culture and ethnicity.

Foreign Secretary Sir Mortimer Durand was sent to sign an agreement with the Emir of Afghanistan, Abdul Rahman, on 12 November 1893, which demarcated the Pashtun-inhabited territory with the Durand Line, creating a wedge between people who shared a similar culture and ethnicity. The agreement gave Britain access to key trade routes, assuring security in case of a Russian attack, and also complemented the divide-and-rule strategy to curb rising Pashtun nationalism.
Both groups agreed to limit their spheres of influence and not interfere in each other’s territory. In exchange for the 40,000 square miles of territory Afghanistan lost, the British Empire promised £60,000 annually in aid and protection in case of any uncertainty. Boundary commissions were formed in 1897 with the final boundaries drawn, but protests immediately began, with tribal groups opposing the Durand Line , a resistance that continues to this day. At a Loya Jirga (tribal assembly) in 1949, Afghanistan unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, and this situation has remained unchanged to this day, regardless of which government is in power in the country.

Impact of Pakistan and Afganistan controversy

Peshawar school massacre, terrorist attack in which seven heavily armed Taliban fighters stormed an army-run primary and secondary school in Peshawar, Pakistan, on December 16, 2014, killing 150 people, of whom at least 134 were students.

At the time of the incident, the Army Public School held more than 1,000 staff members and students; many of the pupils were children of military personnel. The terrorists began their attack in mid-morning when they accessed the large compound by scaling a wall. According to some reports, they bombed their own vehicle to create a distraction for school guards. Entering the main assembly hall, where a large group of students was taking a lesson in first aid, they proceeded to shoot indiscriminately. The attackers, who were armed with grenades and automatic rifles, then went to the classrooms, where they concentrated their fire on teachers and older children. According to official sources, they sought only to kill and made no attempt to take hostages.