The impact of the India-Pakistan dispute on environment strategies in Afghanistan

Abstract

Indian and Pakistani ongoing rivalry because of historical grievances with territorial disputes creates major effects on how Afghanistan handles environmental policies and sustains regional cooperation structure. Analysis investigates the ramifications of this competitive relationship because of its influence on Afghanistan's ability to handle essential ecological issues including water scarcity and forest destruction and climate modification. According to Realism along with Complex Interdependence Theory the research demonstrates that regional collaboration remains suppressed because security issues along with power-based politics take priority. Strategic competition supersedes collaborative endeavors since the Kabul River Basin demonstrates shared resources create tools for strategic contestation. Indian investments in Afghan infrastructure particularly water and energy infrastructure provoke Pakistani concerns about threats which damage trust and destabilize relations. Foreign aid dependency disempowers Afghanistan from creating independent environmental strategies while simultaneously disempowering its ability to take control of its governance. The study demonstrates how regional nations require political agreements to advance coherent environmental governance through cooperative alliances instead of adversarial relationships. The absence of trust and collaboration will preserve Afghanistan's ecological decline and developmental underdevelopment and restrict sustainable advancement opportunities throughout South Asia.