Yaqoob Mujahid: Hypothetical Durand Line Was Not Discussed in Doha Talks
Tawazon – Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Minister of Defence of the Taliban, stated that no one is allowed to violate Afghanistan’s sovereignty or disturb the country’s security.
Speaking at an online press conference from Doha, Mujahid emphasised that the Durand Line is hypothetical and it was not discussed in any part of the agreement, stressing that the issue is a matter between nations, The Tribune India reported.
Established in the Hindu Kush in 1893, the Durand Line runs through the tribal lands between Afghanistan and British India. In modern times, it has marked the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
It was signed between the British civil servant Sir Henry Mortimer Durand and Amir Abdur Rahman, then the Afghan ruler, two years after the end of the Second Afghan War in which the British took control of several areas that were part of the Afghan kingdom. His agreement with Durand demarcated the limits of his and British India’s spheres of influence on the Afghan “frontier” with India.
With independence in 1947, Pakistan inherited the Durand Line, and with it also the Pashtun rejection of the line, and Afghanistan’s refusal to recognise it.
Afghanistan has never recognized the border with Pakistan, arguing that the line, created by the British Empire, arbitrarily splits communities.
Referring to the upcoming meeting in Turkey, Mujahid said that discussions there would focus on the mechanisms of the current agreement.
The Taliban Defence Minister added that if any attacks are carried out by Pakistan, they will take reciprocal actions, noting that Pakistan had previously violated Afghanistan’s airspace. He said they had given a decisive response to Pakistan’s military regime, according to the reports.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar, on Sunday confirm the peace agreement signed with Afghanistan, while reiterating Pakistan’s accusations against Afghanistan for the recent attacks. Dar also called for efforts to prevent any further loss of lives.
In a post on X, he said, “Welcome the Agreement finalized late last night in Doha. It is the first step in the right direction. Deeply appreciate the constructive role played by brotherly Qatar and Turkiye. We look forward to the establishment of a concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism, in the next meeting to be hosted by Turkiye, to address the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil towards Pakistan. It is important to put all efforts in place to prevent any further loss of lives.”
For nearly two weeks, Afghanistan and Pakistan exchanged military attacks that killed dozens of people, injured hundreds and threatened to turn into full-on conflict.
