Afghanistan’s Taliban government has announced plans to quickly build dams on the Kunar river, a tributary that feeds Pakistan’s Kabul and then the Indus, potentially reducing downstream flows to Pakistan. The order came directly from Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who told the water and energy ministry to move “as fast as possible” and to award contracts to Afghan companies rather than wait for foreign firms.
Deputy information minister Mujahid Farahi publicised the directive, while water and power minister Abdul Latif Mansoor said Afghans have the right to manage their own water resources. The announcement follows deadly fighting along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border this month and a ceasefire on October 19, adding a water dimension to already tense ties.
The Kunar originates in mountainous regions and joins the Kabul river before entering Pakistan, contributing to the Indus system that underpins irrigation, drinking water, and hydropower there. Any upstream storage or diversion by Afghanistan could affect flows into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and beyond, a point noted by regional reports as concerns over water security rise.
Officials and analysts also framed the move as part of Kabul’s push for “water sovereignty,” with the Taliban signalling domestic-led construction and faster timelines. Media in the region linked the timing to recent hostilities and to broader shifts after India suspended participation in the Indus Waters Treaty earlier this year, though Afghanistan and Pakistan have no formal water-sharing pact.
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India’s role appears limited in this current Kunar plan, with earlier India–Afghanistan cooperation focused on projects like the India–Afghanistan Friendship (Salma) Dam and general support for sustainable water management. Recent India–Taliban contacts referenced cooperation on hydropower for Afghanistan’s energy and agriculture, but not the Kunar scheme aimed at restricting flows to Pakistan.