Bangladesh, Nov. 2 -- Ceasefire talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, mediated by Türkiye and Qatar, may offer temporary calm, but the deep historical mistrust, ethnic entanglements, and political manipulation that define the two nations relationship make peace a distant prospect. The recent clashes along the Durand Line-one of the worlds most contentious borders-show that the “shared war” between Kabul and Islamabad is not only about territory, but about identity, ideology, and the ghosts of history that refuse to die.

The border skirmishes that erupted in October along the 2,640-kilometer Durand Line once again revealed how volatile relations between the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and Pakistan have become. Although T&...