Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the opposition leader in Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Awami National Party of Pashtunkhwa, said in a podcast that the Durand Line could be just a “line on paper.”
He emphasized that with proper leadership, people on both sides of the line could move freely, and the current strict restrictions could be relaxed. In his remarks, he referred to the experience of some European countries, saying that symbolic borders could replace political walls.
Achakzai also stated that Afghanistan has the right to claim reparations from the former Soviet Union and the United States for war damages. Alongside this, he criticized the Pakistani government’s treatment of Pashtuns in certain cities.
The Durand Line is one of the sensitive and historically disputed issues between Afghanistan and Pakistan and has always been a point of contention in the relations between the two countries.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
