Daily Mains Question - GS 2 - 30th October 2025
- TPP
- Oct 30
- 4 min read
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QUESTION
Examine the historical background of the Durand Line and analyze its strategic importance for India’s foreign policy and security interests in South Asia.
Answer: The Durand Line is a 2,640-kilometre-long border dividing Afghanistan and Pakistan. It was drawn in 1893 after an agreement between Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, the Foreign Secretary of British India, and Amir Abdur Rahman Khan, the ruler of Afghanistan.The West and the United States recognise this line as the international boundary, but Afghanistan has never accepted it.This border remains one of South Asia’s most contentious frontiers and continues to influence regional geopolitics and India’s foreign policy.
Historical Origins of the Durand Line
1. Context: The Great Game
In the late 19th century, British India and Tsarist Russia competed for influence in Central Asia. This rivalry was known as the Great Game.
The British sought to create a buffer zone in Afghanistan to prevent Russian expansion toward India.
2. The Durand Agreement, 1893
In 1893, the Durand Agreement was signed in Kabul between Sir Mortimer Durand and Amir Abdur Rahman Khan.
The purpose of the agreement was to define spheres of influence between British India and Afghanistan.
As part of the deal, the British increased the Amir’s annual subsidy by £300,000.The Amir accepted the border and renounced claims to territories from the Hindu Kush to the western limits of Baluchistan.
The territories ceded included Bajaur, Dir, Swat, Buner, Tirah, Kurram Valley, and Waziristan.
This frontier legally made the tribesmen British protected persons.
3. The 1919 Anglo-Afghan Treaty
The Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 (Treaty of Rawalpindi), following the Third Anglo-Afghan War, reaffirmed the Durand Line as the boundary between Afghanistan and British India (Article V).
4. Post-1947 Developments
With the partition of India in 1947, Pakistan inherited this boundary, which Afghanistan refused to recognise—it was the only country to oppose Pakistan’s admission to the UN in 1947.
The border cuts across the Pashtun heartland, dividing tribes such as Wazirs, Afridis, and Mohmands—fueling the Pashtunistan movement in the mid-20th century.
5. Geographic and Ethnic Landscape
The Durand Line traverses arid and semi-arid highlands, including seven former FATA tribal agencies: Khyber, Bajaur, Mohmand, Orakzai, Kurram, North and South Waziristan.
It also separates approximately 35–40 million Pashtuns living across both sides — about 42% of Afghanistan’s and 15% of Pakistan’s population (House of Commons Library, 2010).
Contemporary Developments and Disputes
Pakistan began constructing a border fence along the Durand Line in March 2017.
The official reason was to control terrorism, smuggling, and illegal migration.
By April 2023, about 98% of the fence had been completed.
Afghanistan continues to reject the legitimacy of the Durand Line, including under the Taliban regime.
Frequent cross-border clashes occur between Afghan and Pakistani forces. The fence has disrupted trade, family ties, and local economies of border communities.
The British terminology for the line has changed over time — from “frontier line” (1893–96) to “frontier” (1919–21) and then to “international frontier” (1950).This inconsistent nomenclature reflects the disputed and fluid character of the boundary.
Strategic Significance for India’s Foreign Policy
1. Regional Stability and Security
Instability along the Durand Line directly affects India’s security interests in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Cross-border militancy, Taliban resurgence, and safe havens in Pakistan’s tribal belt pose indirect threats to Indian assets and projects in Afghanistan.
2. Connectivity and Trade
The Durand Line area forms part of the proposed trans-regional connectivity corridors — such as the Chabahar Port Project and the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Any turbulence here hampers India’s access to Central Asia via Afghanistan.
3. Countering Terrorism and Extremism
The Af-Pak border belt is a hub for terrorist groups like Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and remnants of al-Qaeda, affecting regional peace.
India’s counter-terror strategy includes supporting Afghan-led peace processes that ensure a stable, inclusive government in Kabul.
4. Diplomatic Balancing
India maintains strategic ambiguity on the Durand Line’s legitimacy — neither recognising nor rejecting it — reflecting a pragmatic, non-interventionist stance.
This policy supports Afghan sovereignty while avoiding direct confrontation with Pakistan, aligning with India’s vision of an “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, and Afghan-controlled” peace process.
5. China–Pakistan–Afghanistan Axis
The Durand Line area overlaps with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (CPEC).
For India, this creates a strategic challenge as Pakistan and China strengthen their cooperation in the border regions.
India closely monitors these developments to safeguard its strategic autonomy in South Asia.
Challenges and Implications
Persistent Afghan rejection of the Durand Line limits regional cooperation.
Ethnic divisions among Pashtuns complicate counter-insurgency and state consolidation efforts.
Pakistan’s efforts to consolidate the line militarily may provoke ethnic backlash and strengthen Taliban–Pashtun nationalism.
The issue perpetuates India–Pakistan–Afghanistan mistrust, obstructing South Asian regional integration.
Conclusion
The Durand Line epitomises the colonial legacy of artificial boundaries imposed without regard for ethnic and cultural realities. More than 130 years later, it continues to shape South Asia’s geopolitics, influencing Afghanistan–Pakistan relations and India’s security calculus. For India, maintaining strategic prudence, supporting Afghan sovereignty, and promoting regional stability remain essential to ensuring peace, connectivity, and balanced power in the extended neighbourhood.
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