In the wake of turbulent Pak-Afghan ties and the Taliban’s refusal to acknowledge the Durand Line, the US supports the territorial sovereignty of both nations within the international framework.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday, February 21, that Washington supports the territorial integrity of Pakistan and Afghanistan within the framework of the “internationally recognised borders of the two countries”.

A week ago, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanakzai, the political deputy of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had said at a ceremony commemorating the 35th anniversary of the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in Logar, that the supposed Durand Line would never be recognised by Afghanistan.

“We have never recognized Durand and will never recognize it, today half of Afghanistan is separated and is on the other side of the Durand Line. Durand is the line which was drawn by the English on the heart of Afghans. And today our neighbouring country deports the refugees in a very cruel manner and they are being told to return to their country,” he said.

The Durand Line remains a contentious issue and continues to pose a significant obstacle to cordial relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.”