Henry Mortimer Durand

Henry Mortimer Durand was a British diplomat and civil servant in the Indian Civil Service, best known for establishing the Durand Line in 1893, which demarcated the border between British India and Afghanistan. This border, which stretches for 2,611 km, remains a point of contention between Afghanistan and Pakistan, as Afghanistan has never officially recognized it. Durand's work was pivotal in shaping British foreign policy in the region and aimed to create a buffer zone against Russian expansion during the Great Game, a strategic rivalry between the British Empire and the Russian Empire in Central Asia.