What is Durand Line?

6 things to know about the Pak-Afghan international border (All images via X)

What is the Durand Line?

The Durand Line is the international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

How long?

It stretches around 2,670 kilometers (1,640 miles) from the Wakhan Corridor in the north to Balochistan in the south.

History:

It was established in 1893 after talks between British diplomat Sir Mortimer Durand and Amir Abdur Rahman Khan, the ruler of Afghanistan.

The issue:

Interestingly, Afghanistan has never formally recognized the Durand Line as an international border after gaining independence from Britain in 1919.

What Afghan says:

Kabul maintains that the agreement was imposed on them and it divides ethnic Pashtun and Baloch communities living on both sides.

What Islamabad says:

However, Pakistan considers the Durand Line its official and legal border with Afghanistan.

Durand Line:

Smuggling, cross-border attacks, and disputes are regular along the Durand Line.