The Durand Line
Context:
Afghanistan and Pakistan face escalating border clashes. Deadly exchanges have erupted along the Durand Line; a border Afghanistan disputes.
Core issue:
Pakistan views the Durand Line as its internationally recognised western border while Afghanistan insists it is a disputed, de facto boundary with no legal validity.
This deep disagreement is not just legal but also emotional and cultural, rooted in a century-old legacy and ongoing security concerns.
About Durand Line and the History:
The Durand Line is the 2,640-km border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The line gets its name from Sir Mortimer Durand.(the then Foreign Secretary of British India.)
The Durand Line, drawn in 1893 by the British, divided Pashtun tribal areas between British India and Afghanistan.
‘Pashtunistan’ — an independent country of the Pashtuns — was a demand made by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan at the time of Partition.
During the Partition of India, He and his Khudai Khidmatgars demanded that the Pashtuns be given a third option in the 1947 referendum in the North-West Frontier Province — to form an independent “Pashtunistan” rather than choosing between India and Pakistan.
Because of his close association and shared philosophy with Gandhi, he came to be known as the “Frontier Gandhi” — meaning Gandhi of the Frontier region (NWFP).