WASHINGTON: The United States has made it clear that it recognises the Durand Line as an international border.

On Tuesday, two opposing camps in Afghanistan — the ISIS and former Afghan president Hamid Karzai — refused to recognise Durand Line as the permanent border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Both insisted that the border needs to be redefined.

“We don’t have any new policies with respect to the borders of Afghanistan,” said John Kirby, the spokesman for the US Department of State, when asked to comment on their statements.

An Indian reporter raised the issue at the State Department news briefing, asking if the US recognised the Durand Line as the final border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mr Kirby said: “It’s the recognised border, and we recognise the borders of Afghanistan.”

The Durand Line is the 1,400 miles long border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, established in 1893 following an agreement between Sir Mortimer Durand, a representative of British India, and Abdur Rahman Khan, the Amir of Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2015

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