Relationship dossier
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Relationship assessment
Practical ties persist amid enduring border, security, and refugee disputes.
Afghanistan toward Pakistan
-45Successive Afghan governments have disputed the Durand Line and raised claims concerning Pashtun areas across the border. Afghan administrations have also maintained trade and diplomatic engagement with Pakistan, while security disputes and cross-border incidents have repeatedly strained ties. Afghanistan’s governments have changed substantially, and policy has not been uniform across them.
Pakistan toward Afghanistan
-50Pakistan has hosted large Afghan refugee populations and maintained substantial political and security involvement in Afghanistan, including support for Afghan factions during periods of conflict. It has also pursued border fencing and migration enforcement, measures that have generated friction with Afghan authorities. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghan-based militants of attacking it, while Afghan governments have disputed or rejected aspects of Pakistan’s security claims.
Overall relationship
-45The relationship is shaped by an unresolved border dispute, reciprocal security accusations, and Pakistan’s enduring involvement in Afghan affairs, alongside practical trade and refugee links. These recurring sources of friction have outweighed cooperation in the bilateral relationship, although its intensity has varied with changes in Afghanistan’s government.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Afghanistan–Pakistan relations have combined practical ties, including trade and refugee arrangements, with longstanding disputes over the Durand Line and cross-border security. Afghan governments have challenged the border’s legitimacy, while Pakistan has exerted influence in Afghan politics and hosted large Afghan refugee populations. Relations have repeatedly deteriorated over accusations of militant sanctuaries, border incidents, and Pakistan’s treatment of Afghan migrants. The governments’ policies have varied across Afghanistan’s political changes.
Areas of tension
- Afghan rejection of the Durand Line as an internationally settled border
- Cross-border militant activity and competing claims about safe havens
- Border fencing and periodic closures or clashes
- Pakistan’s enforcement actions and deportation of Afghan migrants
- Pakistan’s political and security involvement in Afghan affairs
Key developments
Pakistan began a campaign to deport undocumented Afghan nationals, prompting objections from Afghan authorities and worsening bilateral tensions.
Pakistan pursued fencing along the Afghanistan border, which Afghan authorities contested and which was associated with recurring border friction.
Pakistan hosted millions of Afghan refugees during successive periods of conflict in Afghanistan, creating a major and enduring bilateral issue.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral security and trade arrangements vary across governments.
- The extent of each government’s control over cross-border armed groups is contested.