Pamir mountains

Oct 13, 2024 | thetimes.com | Jim McLean |Jim Mclean |Pamir mountains

On one side of the Panj river, the flag of the Taliban flutters and a few Afghans pan for gold. On the other bank, in Tajikistan, a country which is historically and culturally in Russia’s backyard, a new chapter of the Great Game is playing out among powers vying for influence in central Asia. The Pamir Highway is still, in stretches, a dusty rutted border track prone to landslides and avalanches, but it is being rapidly expanded and improved by the state-backed China Road and Bridge Corporation.