Kabul: In a move likely to heighten regional tensions, Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government has announced plans to construct multiple dams on the Kunar River a vital waterway that flows into Pakistan’s northwestern territories.
The decision, revealed just days after a series of deadly border clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces, could significantly reduce water flow to Pakistan and further strain already fragile bilateral relations.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Information and Culture for Publication, Muhajer Farahi, confirmed the development on X (formerly Twitter), stating that the order to begin construction came directly from Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
“His Excellency the Amir al-Mu’minin has instructed the Ministry of Water and Energy to begin constructing dams on the Kunar River immediately, using domestic companies rather than waiting for foreign contractors,” Farahi wrote.
“Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor has emphasized that Afghans have the right to manage their own water resources.”
According to Farahi, the Ministry of Water and Energy has been directed to fast-track contracts with Afghan firms to ensure swift implementation of the project.
Ceasefire Follows Border Tensions
The announcement comes on the heels of intense cross-border fighting earlier this month, which left both sides on high alert before a ceasefire was finally brokered.
On Saturday, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Pakistan and Afghanistan had reached an “immediate ceasefire” after mediation efforts led by Qatar and Turkiye in Doha.
“During the negotiations, both sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to establish mechanisms that would help maintain peace and stability along their shared border,” the Qatari statement read.
Officials from both nations are expected to hold follow-up discussions in the coming days to solidify the ceasefire and explore long-term solutions for peace.
A Broader Regional Water Dispute
The timing of the Taliban’s announcement also coincides with New Delhi’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan earlier this year, following the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 civilians were killed.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, governs the sharing of rivers between India and Pakistan and has long been considered a cornerstone of water diplomacy in South Asia.
The Kunar River, stretching roughly 480 kilometers, originates in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountains and flows eastward into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where it merges with the Indus River. Its waters are largely fed by melting glaciers and seasonal snow, making it a crucial source for both countries.
Afghanistan’s acting Minister of Energy and Water, Abdul Latif Mansoor, has repeatedly defended Kabul’s right to utilize its own resources.
“Managing and using our water resources is Afghanistan’s sovereign right,” Mansoor told TOLOnews earlier this year, responding to regional concerns about the country’s growing dam projects.
The planned construction on the Kunar River is now being viewed as both a test of Afghanistan’s domestic engineering capabilities and a potential flashpoint in already delicate Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
