India Pakistan cyber skirmishes and Afghan digital infrastructure: A realist analysis of cross-border cyber spillovers in post –Taliban Afghanistan

Abstract

This paper looks at how cyber operations between India and Pakistan negatively impact cross –border data flows telecommunications network and Afghanistan’s delicate digital infrastructure, especially after the Taliban took back control in August 2021. This study examines how bilateral cyberwarfare affects Afghanistan’s delicate digital environment using classical realism as the theoretical foundation and specifically referencing the writings of Hans Morgenthau and Kenneth Waltz. From August 2021 to May 2025, the study used a qualitative technique that included expert interviews, case study analysis, and documents analysis according to research India Pakistan cyberwarfare causes serious collateral damage to Afghanistan’s digital infrastructure, posing a challenging security situation for the Taliban regime. The study shows that Afghanistan’s geographic.it is especially vulnerable to cyber crossfire due to its position and technology reliance, and these vulnerabilities are made worse by the Taliban’s poor ability to govern. The deliberate disruption of Afghan telecommunications networks, hacked cross-border data transfers and Indians and Pakistanis weaponization of digital infrastructure are some of the main conclusions. The study comes to the conclusion that regional cyberwarfare has seriously undermined Afghanistan’s digital sovereignty, with consequences for the provision of humanitarian help, economic recovery, and the stability of governance. Based on realism principles, this study offers policy proposals that include creating neutral digital corridors, broadening technology alliances, establishing cyber non-interference agreements.