After India holds back water, Taliban moves to build Kunar dams: How Pakistan stares at severe water shortages

An aerial view shows the Kunar river running past a hillside in Kunar province on September 14, 2025. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)

Afghanistan under the Taliban is taking assertive steps to assert its water sovereignty, a move that could have severe consequences for Pakistan’s already fragile water and energy security. Following weeks of deadly clashes along the Durand Line, Kabul has announced plans to construct dams on the Kunar river, signaling a strategic effort to control water flowing into Pakistan.

This mirrors India’s recent decision to hold back water under the Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam terror attack in April this year, carried out by Pakistan-based terrorists. Islamabad, which has long relied on Afghan rivers for irrigation and hydropower, now faces a looming water crisis of its own.

Taliban orders fast-track dams

The Afghan Ministry of Water and Energy, according to Deputy Minister Muhajer Farahi, is instructed by Taliban Supreme Leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada to build dams on the Kunar river “as fast as possible" and to “sign contracts with domestic Afghan companies rather than wait for foreign firms.” London-based journalist Sami Yousafzai noted, "After India, it may now be Afghanistan's turn to restrict Pakistan's water supply."

Strategic importance of the Kunar and Kabul rivers

The 480-km-long Kunar river, known as the Chitral river in Pakistan, feeds into the Kabul river, which ultimately joins the Indus near Attock. Any reduction in the Kunar’s flow would impact both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, further straining Pakistan’s irrigation and agricultural output.

India-Afghanistan hydropower collaboration

This move also follows Afghanistan strengthening hydropower cooperation with India. Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi highlighted that India’s assistance in constructing the Salma Dam and Shahtoot Dam demonstrates a model for sustainable water management and energy generation, while Pakistan, by contrast, continues to face water mismanagement and geopolitical isolation.