Kabul: Days after deadly border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Taliban-led administration in Kabul has announced plans to construct dams over the Kunar River, a key waterway that flows into Pakistan’s northwestern region, news agency reported. The move is expected to significantly reduce water flow into Pakistan.
In a post on X, Afghanistan’s Deputy Information and Culture Minister for Publication, Muhajer Farahi, said that Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had directed authorities to begin the project “as soon as possible,” without waiting for foreign contractors.
“The Ministry of Water and Energy says His Excellency the Amir al-Mu’minin [Hibatullah Akhundzada] has instructed them to begin construction of dams on the Kunar River immediately and to sign contracts with domestic companies instead of waiting for foreign firms. Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor said Afghans have the right to manage their own water resources,” Farahi wrote.
The announcement comes shortly after intense border fighting between Afghan and Pakistani forces left several casualties on both sides. A ceasefire was later reached in Doha following mediation by Qatar and Turkey.
“A round of negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Afghanistan was held in Doha, mediated by the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye. During the talks, both sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to establish mechanisms to ensure lasting peace and stability,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The Taliban government’s move also follows New Delhi’s April decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty—an agreement governing the sharing of water from India’s three western rivers with Pakistan—after the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 civilians.
Stretching around 480 kilometres, the Kunar River flows through eastern Afghanistan into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Fed by melting glaciers and snow from the Hindu Kush mountains, it forms part of the Indus River basin.
Earlier in April, Afghanistan’s acting minister of energy and water, Abdul Latif Mansoor, had told Tolo News that managing and using the country’s water resources was Afghanistan’s sovereign right, responding to concerns from neighbouring nations over dam construction on the Kunar River. (Agencies)
