Overview
- MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi stands ready to support Afghanistan on sustainable water management, including hydroelectric projects, citing past work on the Salma Dam.
- Taliban representative Suhail Shaheen welcomed India’s readiness and proposed delegation‑level discussions to explore cooperation.
- Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has directed Afghanistan’s Water and Energy Ministry to start building a dam on the Kunar River and to award contracts to local firms.
- Sources indicated Kabul has not yet formally requested Indian technical assistance for the new Kunar project, leaving cooperation contingent on next steps.
- Pakistan has raised alarms over potential reductions in downstream flows into the Kabul River, as India reaffirmed support for Afghan sovereignty and accused Islamabad of cross‑border terrorism.