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‘Taliban doesn’t accept Durand Line’: The move caused row as the map depicted several Pakistani provinces, including KPK, GB and Balochistan, as part of Afghanistan
The Taliban, like earlier Afghan governments, views the Durand Line as an artificial colonial border, said top intelligence and Taliban sources.
The gifting of the Greater Afghanistan map to a Taliban minister recently was a deliberate act of defiance against Pakistan, according to sources.
Students of al-Madrasa al-Asriyah in Afghanistan recently presented the map as gift to Taliban Deputy Minister Mohammad Nabi Omari. The move caused controversy as it depicted several Pakistani provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Balochistan, as part of Afghanistan.
Why Greater Afghanistan is an issue amid ongoing clashes
The concept of a ‘Greater Afghanistan’ or ‘Pashtunistan’ is a long-standing point of contention, as Afghanistan has historically refused to accept the Durand Line as the official border with Pakistan.
The Durand Line, drawn in 1893 by the British, divided the ethnic Pashtun population. Afghan nationalists claim the Pashtun-majority regions that are currently part of Pakistan.
The move comes amid the clashes between the two countries. Pakistan and Afghanistan have, for now, agreed to maintain a ceasefire following peace talks in Istanbul, after earlier talks collapsed earlier this week. Pakistan said the border ceasefire will hold after the Taliban government provided some “assurances”. The Turkish foreign ministry said “all parties have agreed to put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and impose a penalty on the violating party.” The sides plan to meet again at a higher-level gathering in Istanbul on Nov 6 to finalise how the ceasefire will be implemented, it added.
What Taliban, intelligence sources say
The Taliban, like earlier Afghan governments, views the Durand Line as an artificial colonial border, said top intelligence and Taliban sources.
“Pakistan has no legitimate right to claim the territories east of this line. Taliban believes that Pakistan used them and Afghan soil and fighters for its strategic depth during the U.S. war,” said sources.
“Pakistan has now turned hostile by attacking border areas and expelling Afghan refugees. By presenting the Greater Afghanistan map, the Taliban leadership seeks to assert national pride and reject Pakistan’s attempts to dictate Kabul’s policies,” they said.
Pakistan’s ongoing expulsion of over a million Afghan refugees is viewed in Kabul as a humiliation and collective punishment.
“Afghanistan under the Emirate will no longer tolerate Pakistan’s interference, intelligence control, or dictation. Taliban is clear that Pakistan is weakening it through border aggression and the mass expulsion of refugees. By erasing the Durand Line, the Taliban is rejecting Pakistan’s colonial-era legitimacy,” said sources.
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
November 02, 2025, 7:52 PM IST
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