Research · Reference

Policy glossary

The laws, agreements, institutions and places that come up again and again in relations between the United States and Pakistan, each explained in a short, neutral, sourced entry.

65 entries, A to Z

6 of 65 terms in Geography. Show all

D

Durand Line

geography. The roughly 2,600-kilometre border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, named after Sir Mortimer Durand, the British Indian foreign secretary who agreed it with Amir Abdur Rahman Khan of Afghanistan in November 1893. Pakistan regards it as the international boundary it inherited in 1947; Afghan governments have not formally accepted it, arguing that it marked spheres of influence and divided Pashtun lands. Crossings such as Torkham sit on it.

F

Federally Administered Tribal Areas

geography. Also FATA. Seven tribal agencies and several smaller frontier regions along the Afghan border that, until 2018, were governed directly by Pakistan’s federal government under the colonial-era Frontier Crimes Regulations rather than through a province. The 25th Amendment to the Constitution, signed into law on 31 May 2018, merged them into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Frontier Crimes Regulations were repealed.

G

Gwadar

geography. Also Gwadar Port. A port town on Pakistan’s Arabian Sea coast in Balochistan, near the entrance to the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Its deep-water port is owned by the Gwadar Port Authority, created in 2002, and operated by the Chinese state-owned China Overseas Port Holding Company. It is the southern end of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor.

K

Kashmir dispute

geography. Also Jammu and Kashmir dispute. The territorial dispute over the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, whose ruler signed an instrument of accession to India in October 1947, an accession Pakistan disputes. India and Pakistan each claim the whole region. India administers Jammu, the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh; Pakistan administers Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan; China holds Aksai Chin. The dispute has led to wars and repeated crises.

L

Line of Control

geography. Also LoC. The military line dividing the parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India and by Pakistan. It grew out of the 1949 ceasefire line; under the 1972 Simla Agreement both countries undertook to respect the line resulting from the ceasefire of 17 December 1971 “without prejudice to the recognized position of either side”. Neither treats it as an international boundary.

T

Torkham

geography. Also Torkham border crossing. The main border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, at the western end of the Khyber Pass, linking Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province on the road between Peshawar and Jalalabad. It carries much of the two countries’ trade and transit cargo and was a main route for supplies to US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan has closed it at times during disputes and clashes.

Definitions are kept short and neutral, and each cites its sources on the term’s page. Spotted something to correct? Tell us.