The Durand Line remains a deeply contested border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, rooted in colonial history and unresolved political tensions. Ongoing security challenges, cross-border militancy, and ethnic divisions—especially among Pashtuns—continue to make this frontier one of the most volatile regions in South Asia.

Pakistan has long presented itself as a leading voice in the Muslim world. Founded in 1947 as a homeland for Muslims of British India, it has over the decades sought to project itself as a champion of Islamic solidarity, a defender of Muslim causes and a strategic partner for other Muslim-majority states. But in 2024-25 the landscape of Pakistan’s relations with other Islamic nations is increasingly shaped by tension, complexity and paradox by the interplay of border issues,