While Pakistan is working to position itself as a potential mediator in the war between the US, Israel and Iran, its forces continue to wage war against the Afghan Taliban on Pakistan’s western border.
Pakistani forces are increasingly bombing border areas in Afghanistan. Pakistan is being accused of creating a sphere of influence along the border, also known by its colonial-era name, the Durand Line.
At the same time, on March 31, a “Pakistan-Afghanistan Peace Jirga” was convened in Peshawar, Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border. Jirga is a traditional gathering of leaders to resolve conflicts in Pashtun tribal areas.
The Assembly issued a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and urging that the conflict be resolved through negotiations. It remains to be seen whether this proposal will have any impact beyond political signaling.
Why is Pakistan fighting Taliban rule?
In late February, Pakistan’s defense minister said Islamabad was in a state of “open war” with Afghanistan, and began a bombing campaign.
Pakistan has accused the Taliban-ruled government of Afghanistan of supporting terrorist groups like Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has been blamed for several bloody attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan refuses to provide any kind of assistance.
Initial clashes occurred in late 2025. In the fighting, the Pakistani army also targeted the Afghan capital Kabul. Despite peace talks brokered by Türkiye and Qatar, both sides failed to achieve a permanent solution to the conflict.
Pakistani ‘security zone’ claim
Now, reports of artillery fire, drone strikes and blocked roads are emerging from Afghanistan’s eastern provinces bordering Pakistan – including Paktia, Kunar and Nuristan.
According to the Taliban, one civilian was killed and 17 others, including women and children, were injured in Kunar province. There is news of attack in Kabul also.
In Nuristan province, in the remote districts of Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal, residents have been reporting shortages of food, fuel and medicine for several days. He says he has been cut off from the outside world.
Some Pakistani media outlets are also reporting on a possible buffer zone extending 32 kilometers (20 mi) inside Afghan territory to allegedly prevent cross-border attacks by the TTP. However, this cannot be independently verified.
Border area ‘temporary measures’
Official sources in Islamabad have not yet confirmed the existence of any border area.
Riyadh-based security analyst Ali K. Chishti confirmed to DW that a buffer zone has been established. However, he stressed that Pakistan was not seeking formal territorial expansion.
“This is exclusively a temporary measure until a solution is found and some kind of joint mechanism is agreed upon,” Chishti said.
Pakistani foreign affairs analyst Tahir Khan told DW that Pakistan considers the border with Afghanistan to be an international border. “Any attempt to take control of Afghan territory would be considered a violation of international law,” Khan said.
During this time, Afghan journalist Sami Yousafzai told DW thatIt is very difficult to get reliable information from the ground.
He said, “I cannot confirm that part of Afghanistan has gone to Pakistan.”
What is Durand Line?
The 2,640-km border passes through the Pashto-speaking settlement area. In Afghanistan, this border demarcation is controversial today, as it was agreed upon with the British, but not with Pakistan, which was established in 1947.
However, in practice, it forms the international border between the two countries.
The Durand Line was named after Henry Mortimer Durand, Foreign Secretary of the Indian Administration of the British Empire, and was formally drawn in 1893.
Citizens face problems in border areas
As the violence continues, Jamaluddin Badr, the former governor of Nuristan province, told DW that the situation is serious and extremely worrying for the civilian population.
He said the area was “not a TTP stronghold” so there was no reason to target it.
“If this situation continues and the bombing does not reduce, it will have long-term consequences,” he said, adding that if military units captured these districts, it would simultaneously open the way to northern Afghanistan, Badr said.
Officially Pakistan claims to have bombed only TTP positions. But human rights organizations see it differently.
For example, Human Rights Watch described the Pakistani airstrike on the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Center in Kabul on March 16 as an “unlawful attack” and a possible war crime.
According to international reports, at least 143 people were killed in the strike, most of whom were patients. However, Islamabad has said there were “precision air strikes” against military infrastructure and rejected the allegations.
Is there a resolution on the horizon?
Pakistani diplomat Asif Durrani told DW that Pakistan “has made it clear to the Afghan Taliban that they will have to choose between Pakistan and the TTP.”
“Unless the Taliban regime takes concrete steps, the current policy of cracking down on the TTP is likely to continue,” he said.
Therefore, it remains to be seen whether the Taliban leadership will move closer to Pakistan on security policy or maintain distance. Kabul has indicated willingness to engage in talks.
It also remains to be seen whether the current tensions will lead to a political settlement or usher in a new phase of ongoing instability along the border.
With reporting by Shakeela Ibrahimkhel and Haroon Janjua in Islamabad.
This article was translated from German and has been edited for clarity.