Water resources have not topped the agenda in consistently fraught relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. But not anymore.
Mirroring a move made by India earlier this year, the Taliban has said it will too restrict water flowing into Pakistan.
The South Asian country's Information Ministry said that it will build a dam River Kunar, which crosses into Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. No official timeline was given for the project, but authorities did say it will be done 'as fast as possible.'
This is the second water-sharing rap for Pakistan this year. New Delhi suspended the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which gave India and Pakistan three Himalayan rivers each and the right to hydropower and irrigation resources. Halting the water agreement was one of a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures taken by both countries in the immediate aftermath of the Kashmir attack.
Running for nearly 500km, the origins of the Kunar are in the Hindu Kush mountains in Chitral district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It then flows south into Afghanistan, running through the Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, before emptying into the Kabul River, according to NDTV.
Over four decades of war, Afghanistan wielded limited control over five major river basins that flow across its borders into downstream neighbouring nations.
But as Taliban authorities swept to power and tightened their grip on the country, they have pushed for Afghanistan's water sovereignty, launching infrastructure projects to harness precious resources in the arid territory.
Dams and canals have sparked tensions with neighbouring states, testing the Taliban authorities' efforts to build strong regional ties, as they remain largely isolated on the global stage since their 2021 takeover.
Afghanistan's decision to cut off water supply to Pakistan was announced after recent border disputes between the two neigbhours.
The cross-border violence flared on October 11, days after explosions rocked Kabul during an unprecedented visit by the Taliban's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India, Pakistan's archrival.
The Taliban then launched a deadly offensive along parts of its southern border with Pakistan, prompting Islamabad to respond.
