Afghanistan’s new dam plans could cut water supply to Pakistan, claims Baloch activist

Afghanistan is reportedly planning to build new dams on the Kunar river, potentially curbing the flow of the water into Pakistan, which is a move that parallels India’s strategy of water regulation through river-based projects.Baloch activist Mir Yar Baloch on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), sparking fresh concerns over regional water disputes. “This is the beginning of the end of NaPakistan. After Bharat, now Afghanistan is preparing building dams to cut the flow of its water to NaPakistan,” he said.
According to the activist’s post, Taliban General Mubin recently visited the Kunar region to inspect the dam site. Mubin also urged the government in Kabul to raise funds and initiate multiple dam projects.

Patriots ,

2025

This is the beginning of the end of NaPakistan.@hyrbyair_marri @narendramodi

After Bharat, now Afghanistan is preparing building dams to cut the flow of its water to NaPakistan.

Taliban regime’s army Gen. Mubin visited the Kunar area and inspected the dam and… pic.twitter.com/RK9xbSkFr4– ME YAR BALOCH (@miryar_baloch) May 19, 2025

“This water is our blood and we can’t allow our blood to flow out of veins, we have to stop our water which can help to overcome our electricity needs and we can make our agriculture more robust,” General Mubin was quoted as saying by the Baloch activist.

The Kunar river originates in the Hindu Kush mountains and merges into the Kabul river, which flows into Pakistan.

With no existing water-sharing treaty between Afghanistan and Pakistan, as per Dainik Bhaskar, such unilateral dam construction could significantly impact downstream agriculture in Pakistan.

Read more: Indus Water Treaty | Blood and water cannot flow together, will implement PM’s words: CR Patil

India-Afghanistan’s Shahtoot dam

The latest developments follow a strategic shift in India’s foreign policy as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a phone conversation with Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed foreign minister on May 15, in a first since the group took over control in 2021.

Discussions focussed on advancing the Shahtoot dam project on the Kabul river, funded by India costing over ₹2,000 crore, as per India Today. The aim of the dam is to help irrigate 4,000 hectares and supplying drinking water to around two million people.

India’s earlier projects like the Salma Dam, inaugurated in 2016, and current efforts such as Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), have already reduced water availability to Pakistan during certain periods, as per The Economic Times.

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