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Durand Line

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December 01, 2025

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | International relations | History

Why in news?

Conflict has flared once again, the Taliban claimed that Pakistan carried out air strikes inside its territory, killing 10 people near the Durand Line.

  • Durand Line – It is the international land border that stretches for about 2,600 km between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
  • It stretches from the border with Iran in the west to China’s border in the east, spanning through the Karakoram range to the Registan desert.

Durand LIne

  • Established in – 1893, an agreement between the British (Sir Henry Mortimer Durand) and Abdur Rahman Khan, the then-emir of Afghanistan.
  • Anglo-Afghan Wars (1839 - 1919)

Year

Events

Significance

1839–1842

1st Anglo-Afghan War

Britain invaded to block Russian expansion southward.

Pashtun forces resisted, forcing British retreat.

1878–1880

2nd Anglo-Afghan War

Britain invaded again and won. Afghanistan’s sovereignty weakened, paving way for external control.

1879

Treaty of Gandamak

Signed by Yaqub Khan.

Britain took control of Afghan foreign policy in exchange for protection and promises of non-interference in internal affairs.

1893

Durand Agreement

Delineated the boundary between Afghanistan and British India.

1894–1896

Survey of the Durand Line

Joint Afghan-British teams mapped the frontier - divided Pashtun tribal lands, gave Balochistan to British India, and created the Wakhan Corridor as a buffer between Russia and Britain.

1919

3rd Anglo-Afghan War & Treaty of Rawalpindi

After Abdur Rahman’s death (1901) and Habibullah’s assassination (1919), Amanullah Khan rose to power, launched the 3rd Anglo-Afghan War.

Treaty of Rawalpindi - Restored Afghan control over foreign policy but reaffirmed the Durand Line.

Post-Partition Dispute (After 1947) –

  • Pakistan’s stance – Considers the Durand Line the official international border.
  • Afghanistan’s stance – Rejects it, fueling disputes and cross-border tensions.
  • Pashtun identity – The line splits Pashtun tribes, demanding a sovereign state of Pashtunistan.
  • Security – Conflicts, fencing projects, and ceasefire negotiations keep the frontier volatile.

McMahon Line - De facto border between China and India in the Eastern Sector & Radcliffe line - Border line divides India and Pakistan.

References

  1. The Hindu | Durand Line
  2. Britannica | Durand Line

 
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