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.

India and Afghanistan share a relationship that predates modern political boundaries, shaped by centuries of cultural exchange, trade and intellectual movement across South and Central Asia. Long before contemporary nation states emerged, merchants, scholars, pilgrims and artisans travelled through mountain passes and river valleys linking the Indian subcontinent with Afghanistan. These interactions facilitated the spread of ideas, religious traditions, craftsmanship and comm