From Indus to Kunar: Pakistan Faces Dual Water Blockade by India and Afghanistan
Water Wars Intensify: Afghanistan to Build Dam on Kunar River, Cutting Flow to Pakistan: After India, Afghanistan is preparing to block water flowing to Pakistan. Afghanistan has announced the imminent construction of a dam on the Kunar River to limit Pakistan’s access to water. In a move that could intensify regional tensions, Afghanistan’s Taliban government has announced plans to construct a dam on the Kunar River to restrict water flow into Pakistan. The country’s acting water minister, Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor, stated that the order for the project came directly from Taliban supreme leader Maulana Hibatullah Akhundzada. Mansoor emphasized that Afghanistan has the sovereign right to manage its own water resources and confirmed that the project would be executed by Afghan companies without foreign involvement.
The announcement comes at a time of escalating hostility between Kabul and Islamabad, marked by frequent clashes along the 2,600-kilometer Durand Line. Pakistan has accused the Taliban regime of harboring militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group responsible for numerous attacks inside Pakistan. The dam plan mirrors India’s recent decision to suspend the 65-year-old Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan following the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, signaling a growing regional use of water as a strategic tool.
The Kunar River, originating in Pakistan’s Chitral district before flowing into Afghanistan and back into Pakistan via the Kabul River, is a crucial lifeline for millions in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Experts warn that any restriction of water flow could severely impact irrigation, drinking water supplies, and hydropower generation in Pakistan’s already water-stressed regions. The Taliban’s move underscores the deepening rift between the two neighbors and could mark the beginning of a new phase of water-based conflict in South Asia.
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