Shahtoot Dam Flashpoint in Regional Politics

(Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations for toss)

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India has launched a calibrated geopolitical initiative by deepening engagement with Afghanistan's Taliban-led administration-a move that has significantly unsettled Pakistan.

A landmark telephone conversation on May 15, 2025, between India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister marked the first high-level political contact between the two governments since the Taliban assumed control in 2021. This diplomatic outreach, coupled with India's renewed commitment to the Shahtoot Dam project on the Kabul River, has exacerbated Pakistan's longstanding anxieties over water security-especially following India's recent suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

The Shahtoot Dam-a $236 million Indian-funded hydro-electric and irrigation infrastructure initiative-represents a transformative upgrade to Afghanistan's water management capabilities. Scheduled for completion within three years, the project aims to irrigate approximately 4,000 hectares of agricultural land and provide potable water to over two million residents in the Kabul region.