Kabul: Just days after a series of intense border clashes with Pakistan, Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration has announced plans to begin constructing dams on the Kunar River, a key waterway that flows into Pakistan’s northwestern region.

The move is expected to restrict the river’s water flow into Pakistan and could further strain already tense relations between the two neighbouring nations.

In a post on X, Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Information and Culture for Publication, Muhajer Farahi, said the directive came directly from Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who instructed authorities to start work on the project “as soon as possible,” without waiting for foreign contractors.

“The Ministry of Water and Energy says that His Excellency the Amir al-Mu'minin [referring to Hibatullah Akhundzada] has instructed them to begin construction of dams on the Kunar River as soon as possible and to sign contracts with domestic companies instead of waiting for foreign firms. Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor said that Afghans have the right to manage their own water resources,” Farahi stated.

According to Farahi, the Ministry of Water and Energy has been directed to sign agreements with domestic Afghan companies to expedite the dam’s construction.

Ceasefire after border tensions

The announcement follows a recent flare-up of border clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces, which led to a temporary escalation in tensions before a ceasefire was brokered.

On Saturday, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to an “immediate ceasefire” after mediation by Qatar and Turkiye during talks in Doha.

“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 negotiations, the two sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries,” the statement said.

Both sides have agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days to ensure the “sustainability” of the ceasefire and to promote long-term peace and stability along their border.

The Taliban’s announcement also comes shortly after New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed 26 civilians. The treaty governs the sharing of waters from India’s western rivers, a long-standing pillar of Indo-Pak water diplomacy.

The Kunar River, which runs approximately 480 kilometres, flows through eastern Afghanistan and into northwestern Pakistan, forming part of the Indus River Basin. The river is sustained by melting glaciers and snow from the Hindu Kush mountains.

Earlier this year, Abdul Latif Mansoor, Afghanistan’s acting minister of energy and water, defended the country’s right to manage its own water resources amid regional concern.

“Managing and using water resources is Afghanistan’s sovereign right,” Mansoor told Tolo News in April.