The Taliban’s Border Rhetoric: Pashtun Frontiers, Not Central Asian Borders
Two incidents in mid-October reignited debate over Afghanistan’s borders, particularly its long-disputed frontier with Pakistan. On October 18, Mohammad Nabi Omari, Afghanistan’s first deputy minister for interior affairs, suggested that Afghanistan’s “historical lands” now in Pakistan could one day return to Afghan control. The next day, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to “ending tensions on the Afghanistan–Pakistan border” in a ceasefire statement, prompting Taliban objections and a quick retraction.
These remarks revived a longstanding Afghan grievance: the Durand Line, a frontier drawn in 1893 by the British between Afghanistan and British India. No Afghan government has ever recognized it as an international border, and the Taliban refers to it as an “imaginary line.”
The Taliban’s language may alarm some observers who wonder whether such rhetoric could extend beyond Pakistan to Afghanistan’s northern borders with Central Asia. Those frontiers were defined in the 19th century by treaties between the Russian and British empires, with little Afghan involvement.
Yet despite the heated language and recent armed clashes with Pakistan, the Taliban’s stance appears more ideological than expansionist.
The Durand Agreement of 1893 established the boundary between Afghanistan and British India as a line separating their respective spheres of influence. When Pakistan gained independence in 1947, that line became an international border, recognized by all states except Afghanistan. The 2,600-kilometer frontier divided Pashtun and Baloch communities between two countries, leaving deep resentment that continues to shape tensions in the region. Pashtuns still move relatively freely across this rugged border, which has served as a haven for militants for decades.
Afghanistan’s northern borders tell a slightly different story. They were drawn not by Afghan rulers but under the Anglo-Russian Agreement of 1873, which set the Amu Darya River as the boundary between the Russian and British spheres of influence. This arrangement confirmed Afghanistan’s authority over the lands south of the river, including Balkh, Kunduz, and Badakhshan, reinforcing both its territorial control and its legitimacy.
In essence, the demarcation of Afghanistan’s northern boundary was a political gain. While the Durand Line came to represent partition and loss, the 1873 agreement brought Afghanistan new territory and legitimacy as a buffer state between the Russian and British empires. The north is largely inhabited by Uzbeks, Tajiks, and Turkmen, with few Pashtuns. This distinction helps explain why the Taliban’s references to “historic lands” focus on the Durand Line rather than Afghanistan’s borders with Central Asian states.
Afghanistan’s acting defense minister, Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the son of the Taliban’s late founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, recently reiterated that “[the Durand Line] has never been recognized as an official border, and no agreement has been made on this issue.… This is not a decision any government can make; it is a matter for the people.” Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Nabi Omari’s call for the “return” of historic lands reflects the same ideological stance: a vision of Pashtun unity shaped by popular will rather than a call for military action or unilateral political moves.
The Taliban, a Pashtun-led movement, uses this rhetoric to appeal to supporters on both sides of the Durand Line. It is best understood as a symbolic appeal to Pashtun identity rather than a call for territorial expansion. At its core, it reflects a grievance shared by Pashtuns divided by a colonial-era border, an assertion of identity and dignity rather than a demand for land.
Afghanistan’s relations with its Central Asian neighbors are built on cooperation rather than historical disputes. The Anglo-Russian Agreement ultimately benefited Afghanistan by consolidating control over mineral-rich regions that the Taliban now hopes to develop.
Economically, Afghanistan’s future prosperity depends on stronger integration with its northern neighbors as it seeks to become a regional transit hub through projects such as the TAPI natural gas pipeline, the Trans-Afghan Railway, and the Wakhan Road linking it to China.
For the Taliban, maintaining stability and peaceful relations with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan is a strategic priority. The group has shown no interest in claiming Central Asian territory, recognizing that any such move would threaten Afghanistan’s development and weaken its pursuit of international recognition.
The Taliban’s references to “historical lands” reflect a long-standing national grievance rather than a new geopolitical threat. Its leaders appear to understand that Afghanistan’s future depends on regional stability and economic integration, including progress on the Durand Line dispute and respect for the dignity of the Pashtun people.
Resolving the border dispute with Pakistan will remain difficult given Islamabad’s allegations of Taliban links to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the TTP’s public pledge of allegiance to the Afghan Taliban, and Pakistan’s concern over growing ties between Kabul and New Delhi. Earlier this month, Pakistan’s defense minister accused the Taliban of allowing India’s influence to reach “both sides” of Pakistan’s borders, a claim reflecting deep mistrust rather than verified policy.
Central Asian states are likely to view the Taliban’s rhetoric as an internal assertion of Afghan identity rather than a signal of aggression. Afghanistan’s priorities remain pragmatic: trade, energy, and diplomacy. In the end, regional security will depend on Afghanistan’s ability and its neighbors’ willingness to turn common borders into opportunities for cooperation.
