New Delhi : Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is planning to build dams and restrict water to Pakistan, according to the Afghan Information Ministry. The order to build a dam on the River Kunar “as fast as possible” came from Taliban Supreme Leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada. Afghanistan’s decision follows India’s decision about water-sharing with Pakistan.
The Afghan Ministry of Water and Energy said that Supreme Leader Akhundzada had instructed the ministry to begin construction of dams on the Kunar River as soon as possible and to sign contracts with domestic companies, Muhajer Farahi, the Deputy Minister of Information, posted on X on Thursday. London-based Afghan journalist Sami Yousafzai said, “After India, it may now be Afghanistan’s turn to restrict Pakistan’s water supply…”.
The 480-km-long Kunar River originates in the Hindu Kush mountains of northeastern Afghanistan, near the Broghil Pass close to the Pakistan border. It flows southward through Kunar and Nangarhar provinces before crossing into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it joins the Kabul River near the city of Jalalabad.
The Kabul River, into which the Kunar flows, is the largest and most voluminous transboundary river between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Kabul River joins the Indus near Attock and is crucial for the irrigation and other water needs of Pakistan, especially its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Kabul and Kunar River, which flows into Pakistan, have long been a source of water in Pakistan,” London-based Afghan journalist Sami Yousafzai, posted on X.
This move by Afghanistan follows weeks-long deadly clashes along the Durand Line, its de-facto border with Pakistan, which Kabul calls illegitimate. The Durand Line, drawn by the colonial British, divided the Pashtun homeland into two. The Taliban has prioritised asserting Afghanistan’s water sovereignty. It has accelerated plans for dam construction and hydropower development to harness the country’s river systems for energy generation, irrigation, and reduced dependence on neighbouring countries.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have no formal bilateral water-sharing agreement in place. Islamabad has already raised alarms over the Taliban prioritising Afghanistan’s water sovereignty. Islamabad had earlier warned that such unilateral actions could ignite a full-blown regional water crisis amid Pakistan’s deepening energy and food security challenges.
Appreciating India’s assistance in the construction and maintenance of the India-Afghanistan Friendship Dam (Salma Dam) in Herat, both sides also underscored the importance of sustainable water management and agreed to cooperate on hydroelectric projects with a view to addressing Afghanistan’s energy needs and supporting its agricultural development,” the joint statement of both the countries noted.
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