ISLAMABAD – Afghanistan’s Taliban government announced building a dam on Kunar River, right at the point where it meets the Kabul River before flowing back into Pakistan.
The river originates in Pakistan’s Chitral region, travels deep into Afghanistan, and then returns, making it a lifeline for northern Pakistan’s water supply.
Amid tensions, Afghan Water and Energy ministry finalized dam’s designs and cost estimates, with construction to begin once funding is secured. Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada urged domestic companies to take the lead, signaling a rapid push for water storage capabilities.
Experts warn that the dam could significantly reduce water flow into Pakistan, raising questions about its strategic intent.
Those familiar with development said the move is influenced by India’s growing engagement in Afghanistan. In a bold regional pivot, India recently withdrew from the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), and later reopened its embassy in Kabul. Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is currently in India for high-level talks, marking the Taliban’s most significant engagement with New Delhi since taking power in 2021.
New Delhi could be encouraging Kabul to assert control over transboundary rivers as part of a broader geopolitical strategy to pressure Pakistan.
Meanwhile, tensions along the India-Pakistan border remain high, with cross-border violence claiming dozens of lives and hundreds injured since October 11. Pakistan conducted strikes in Kabul and Paktika targeting groups accused of attacks inside Pakistan, demanding that the Taliban rein in the TTP and BLA. The bordering regions, especially KP and Balochista,n have been hardest hit, with over 2,400 deaths reported in the first nine months of 2025.
Islamabad has consistently maintained that it will uphold international water laws regarding rivers such as the Kunar. However, the combination of India’s withdrawal from the IWT, its growing influence in Kabul, and the Taliban’s Kunar Dam project has sparked fears that water is becoming a new weapon of regional geopolitics.
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