2.2.1. Relations with Afghanistan
The border between the two countries, the Durand Line, remained a key point of contention.128 Heavy fighting broke out along the border in October 2025 after Afghan Taliban forces attacked several Pakistani military posts, amid accusations that Pakistan had earlier conducted airstrikes on Afghan territory, including in Kabul.129 The conflict was described as the deadliest between the two nations since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.130 Consequently, a ceasefire was agreed upon but talks to achieve long-lasting peace stalled.131 Pakistan reportedly continued to accuse the Taliban de facto administration of harbouring groups like the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA),132 which Afghanistan denies.133 Afghanistan, for its part, alleged that Pakistan was sheltering the local offshoot of the Islamic State group.134 TTP's alleged refuge in Afghanistan and its militant actions within Pakistan were reported central to the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban.135
Pakistan continued border fencing and fortification efforts during 2025,136 with clashes at the border leading to a lengthy closure. Economic relations deteriorated as a result, with border closures disrupting cross-border trade flows137 and the political disagreements leading to a halt of reciprocal trade between the two countries.138 Furthermore, Pakistan’s policy of deporting Afghan nationals continued throughout the reference period.139 According to Medecins Sans Frontieres the policy initially focused on undocumented Afghans, mainly the refugee population, but was later broadened to cover Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders as well as holders of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, who had been granted short-term legal stay.140 An acceleration of the number of deportations was reported in April 2025141 as well as between September 2025 and January 2026.142
By the end of February 2026, Pakistan and Afghanistan conducted a series of cross-border airstrikes targeting areas along their shared frontier, including, inter alia, Pakistani strikes on Kabul.143 Hostilities intensified throughout March,144 with the UN reporting severe impacts on civilian populations,145 such as the airstrike on a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul, which killed over 400 people.146 Following a brief ceasefire during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Pakistan resumed military operations against Afghanistan, which, as of the end of March 2026, were reported to be continuing and increasing in intensity.147 For more information, see section 4.1.2. Border security, including incidents along the Durand Line (Afghanistan), the Line of Control (India), and the Pakistan–Iran border.
- 128
Soufan Center (The), Tensions Between Afghanistan and Pakistan Destabilize South Asia, 21 November 2025, url
- 129
Guardian (The), Heavy clashes erupt along Pakistan-Afghanistan border, 12 October 2025, url
- 130
Al Jazeera, Afghanistan-Pakistan peace talks end in Turkiye without resolution, 28 October 2025, url
- 131
Afghanistan International, Taliban–Pakistan Talks In Saudi Arabia Collapse Without Agreement, 1 December 2025, url; RFE/RL, Taliban Says Peace Talks With Pakistan Collapse But Cease-Fire Will Hold, 8 November 2025, url; Al Jazeera, Afghanistan-Pakistan peace talks end in Turkiye without resolution, 28 October 2025, url
- 132
PIPS, Pakistan Security Report 2025, Vol. 18, No. 1, January 2026, url, p. 11; Soufan Center (The), Tensions Between Afghanistan and Pakistan Destabilize South Asia, 21 November 2025, url; Al Jazeera, Pakistan says ceasefire hinges on Afghanistan curbing armed groups, 20 October 2025, url; RFE/RL, Once Allies, Pakistan And Afghan Taliban Lurch Toward Full-Blown Conflict, 13 October 2025, url; BBC, Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of 'violating Kabul's sovereign territory', 10 October 2025, url
- 133
RFE/RL, Taliban Says Peace Talks With Pakistan Collapse But Cease-Fire Will Hold, 8 November 2025, url; Al Jazeera, Afghanistan-Pakistan peace talks end in Turkiye without resolution, 28 October 2025, url
- 134
Reuters, Militant leader at heart of Afghan-Pakistan conflict survived strike that provoked clashes, 16 October 2025, url
- 135
PIPS, Pakistan Security Report 2024: An Abridged Version, Vol. 17, No. 1, January 2025, url, p. 15
- 136
Hasht e Subh Daily, Taliban Rule and Border Walls: Rising Security Costs Across the Region, 18 December 2025, url
- 137
RFE/RL, Costs Mount As Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade War Strands Thousands Of Trucks, 27 December 2025, url; Amu, Afghanistan–Pakistan border crossings remain shut for 50th day as trade and travel grind to a halt, 30 November 2025, url; Dawn, Afghan border closure chokes crucial exports, 30 November 2025, url
- 138
Dawn, Afghanistan bears heavier economic cost as Pakistan trade suspension bites harder, 31 December 2025, url
- 139
BBC, Pakistan expels tens of thousands of Afghans, 19 April 2025, url; Amu, Pakistan deports over 19,000 Afghan migrants in past week, 14 February 2026, url
- 140
MSF, Harsh winter conditions deepen humanitarian crisis for Afghans in Pakistan, 2 January 2026, url
- 141
Al Jazeera, Pakistan accelerates deportation of Afghans: UN, 15 April 2025, url
- 142
MSF, Harsh winter conditions deepen humanitarian crisis for Afghans in Pakistan, 2 January 2026, url
- 143
BBC, What we know after latest escalation in Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions, 27 February 2026, url
- 144
Guardian (The), Pakistan targets militant hideouts in Afghanistan as conflict continues, 15 March 2026, url
- 145
UN OHCHR, Türk says Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict piles ‘misery on misery’, pleads for dialogue, 6 March 2026, url
- 146
UN News, Afghanistan: UN condemns deadly attack on rehab centre in Kabul, 17 March 2026, url
- 147
ABC, Pakistan's conflict with Afghan Taliban intensifies in shadow of Middle East war, 27 March 2026, url; Foschini, F. et al., Breaking Point? The mounting conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, 29 March 2026, url; MEI, Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions drifting into a dangerous escalation cycle, 30 March 2026, url