By Zohaib Ahmed | 17th October 2025 Introduction: Beyond the Border of Myths Let’s be clear, the Durand Line is not some arbitrary line drawn on a colonial map. It is a legally recognized international boundary , established through the Durand Line Agreement of 1893 , signed between Sir Mortimer Durand on behalf of British India and Amir Abdur Rahman Khan , the ruler of Afghanistan. This line, spanning 2,640 kilometers, defined spheres of influence and marked Afghanistan’s eastern frontier, just as similar boundary commissions defined its borders with Iran (1872–76) , Russia (1885–88) , and China (1895) . Yet, curiously, only one border, with Pakistan, is rejected by successive Afghan governments. That’s not history. That’s political selectivity. Background: aistorically, Afghanistan served as the crucial buffer zone between two colossal empires, the British and the Russian. Throughout the 19th century, the region became the epicenter of “The Great Game,” a silent but deadly co...