{"id":90371,"date":"2026-02-28T11:14:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T05:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=90371"},"modified":"2026-02-28T12:10:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T06:40:22","slug":"pakistan-afghanistan-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/pakistan-afghanistan-tensions\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan\u2013Afghanistan Tensions: History Behind the Open Conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Pakistan\u2013Afghanistan Tensions Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pakistan and Afghanistan have entered a sharp new phase of hostilities, with Pakistan bombing Kabul and other provinces after a cross-border attack on its troops.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pakistan\u2019s Defence Minister termed the situation an \u201copen war\u201d with the Taliban-led Afghan government.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The escalation follows months of tensions, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of sheltering militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. However, the strain between the two countries is rooted in a much longer history.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since 1947, relations have largely been marked by distrust, hostility, and recurring confrontations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These tensions have persisted across changes in governments in Pakistan and major upheavals in Afghanistan, including the Soviet intervention (1979\u20131989) and the US intervention (2001\u20132021), during both of which Pakistan supported Afghan resistance groups.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Regime Changes in Afghanistan: A Turbulent Political History<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>End of the Monarchy and Communist Rule (1973\u20131989)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Afghanistan\u2019s monarchy ended in 1973, followed by a brief nationalist phase and then 11 years of communist rule backed by the Soviet Union. The regime attempted sweeping political and social reforms but failed to stabilise the country.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Najibullah and Collapse (1989\u20131992)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; After the Soviet withdrawal, President Najibullah led a nationalist government for three years. His administration collapsed in 1992, paving the way for internal conflict.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Civil War and First Taliban Rule (1992\u20132001)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Afghanistan descended into civil war between Mujahideen factions and the emerging Taliban movement. Formed in 1994, the Taliban \u2014 supported by Pakistan \u2014 captured Kabul in 1996 and controlled most of the country.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>US Intervention and Islamic Republic (2001\u20132021)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the US invaded Afghanistan, ousting the Taliban and establishing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. However, the new political system struggled to gain lasting stability, and the Taliban insurgency persisted.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Taliban Return to Power (2021)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; After the US withdrawal in August 2021, the Taliban swiftly defeated Afghan government forces, regaining control of the entire country \u2014 once again with Pakistan\u2019s backing \u2014 and re-establishing their rule over Afghanistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Persistent Fault Lines in Pakistan\u2013Afghanistan Relations<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Durand Line Dispute<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; A core dispute remains Afghanistan\u2019s refusal to formally recognise the Durand Line as the international border, fuelling recurring tensions over sovereignty and territorial claims.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Trade, Transit, and Strategic Control<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Disagreements over transit routes and trade access have deepened mistrust, with Afghanistan accusing Pakistan of exerting undue influence and control over its affairs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Mutual Resentment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Many Afghans resent what they perceive as Pakistan\u2019s interference since the fall of the monarchy. Conversely, Pakistan views Afghans as ungrateful, citing its hosting of millions of refugees and support for Afghan resistance movements against the Soviet Union and the United States.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The India Factor<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; India\u2019s presence and engagement in Afghanistan have long shaped Pakistan\u2019s security concerns, adding another layer of complexity to bilateral tensions.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pakistan fears strategic encirclement by India and Afghanistan and seeks to limit Kabul\u2019s ties with New Delhi.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, Afghan governments resist external influence over their foreign policy choices.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, Pakistan views the Taliban\u2019s outreach to India as a betrayal, deepening tensions and reinforcing longstanding suspicions between the two neighbours.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>The Durand Line: A Root of Pakistan\u2013Afghanistan Tensions<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2,640-km Durand Line was drawn in 1893 by Sir Mortimer Durand, dividing territories of Afghan ruler Amir Abdul Rehman Khan.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The demarcation <\/span><b>split Pashtun tribal lands<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and was initially meant to define spheres of influence, not a permanent international border.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Historical and cultural differences between Pashtuns and the Punjab-dominated Pakistani state remain significant.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While British India later treated the Durand Line as a permanent boundary \u2014 a position inherited by Pakistan in 1947 \u2014 Afghanistan rejected this interpretation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It even opposed Pakistan\u2019s entry into the United Nations, arguing that Pashtun territories ceded to British India should revert to Afghanistan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Durand Line dispute remains unresolved. Even in 2018, Afghanistan objected when Pakistan integrated its Tribal Areas into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reaffirming Kabul\u2019s long-standing refusal to accept the border\u2019s finality.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Trade and Transit: A Strategic Pressure Point<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a <\/span><b>landlocked country<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Afghanistan depends on transit access through neighbouring states \u2014 primarily Pakistan, Iran, and the Central Asian republics.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among these, the Pakistan route is geographically and economically the most viable.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Successive Afghan governments have sought permission for <\/span><b>overland trade between India and Afghanistan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> via the Wagah border. Pakistan has refused to allow Indian exports and aid through its territory, fuelling resentment in Kabul.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tensions intensify when Pakistan restricts goods entering Afghanistan through land routes or via Karachi port. Such actions are widely viewed in Afghanistan as the use of connectivity and transit access as instruments of political coercion.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b><strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-pakistan-afghanistan-war-10555103\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/pakistan\/why-pakistan-and-afganistan-are-fighting-durand-line-graveyard-of-empires-history\/articleshowprint\/128853246.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ToI<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pakistan\u2013Afghanistan tensions escalate into open conflict, rooted in Durand Line disputes, transit control, Pashtun divide, and the India factor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":90399,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,5789,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-90371","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-pakistan-afghanistan-tensions","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90371"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90387,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90371\/revisions\/90387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}