A recent surge in border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan is a reminder that Central Asian prospects for developing trade and energy networks through both those countries rest on fragile hopes for long-term security in the region.
Some of the worst clashes since the Taliban took power again in Afghanistan in 2021 appeared to have tapered off by Sunday. While both sides have professed their openness to dialogue, there was little sign of a sustained move to address grievances that have simmered for many years.
On Sunday, Pakistan accused Afghanistan of “unwarranted aggression” and said it had repulsed attacks by the Afghan Taliban and other armed groups at the border, inflicting heavy losses. On Saturday night, Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defense said its military had conducted a “successful retaliatory operation” against Pakistani security forces following Pakistani ground incursions and airstrikes on Afghan soil.
The conflicting claims were difficult to verify. But the Afghan ministry said its military operation had ended, signaling that it did not intend to prolong this round of fighting. Pakistan, which closed border crossings, said it wanted good relations with its neighbor.
The clashes come as Central Asian countries seek to diversify trade routes, looking to Afghanistan as a path to ferry goods to Pakistani seaports and onward to the Indian Ocean. Such a route offers an alternative to more traditional corridors that were disrupted after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
But projects such as the Trans-Afghan railway, which is awaiting a feasibility study, depend on a stable political environment in a part of the world that is also prone to conflict. The TAPI natural gas pipeline project, which would connect Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, is also vulnerable to regional instability.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited Pakistan’s chief rival, India, on October 9, just before the weekend escalation of border clashes.
