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The Panj River also called the Pyandzh River or Piandj River is a tributary of the Amu Darya, in Afghanistan. The river is 1,125 km long and is a part of the Afghanistan - Tajikistan border. The river starts on the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan in the ancient region of Badakhshan. It flows westwards alongside the border of two countries. After passing the city of Khorog, capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan it receives water from one of its main tributaries river of Murghab. It continues to flow to the south west before getting waters from Vakhsh and Pamir rivers and forming the greatest river of Central Asia- Amudarya. Panj has played a very important role during Soviet times and has been a strategic river for the Soviet military operations in Afghanistan in 1980's.

In May 2005, construction began on a bridge over the river between Tajikistan and Afghanistan at Nizhnii Panj, with financial support of the USA, to be completed in 2007. The bridge is to replace the present barge, with which only 60 cars a day can be transported and which is unusable many months in the year due to strong current of the river. A bridge at was built at the confluence with the Gunt at Khorog in 2003 and a bridge exists at Langar, which may still be closed.

The Aga Khan Development Network has been engaged in a project to build a series of bridges across the Pyanj River between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The first of these, connecting Tem on the Tajik side with Demogan on the Afghan side, was innaugrated by Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmonov, Afghanistan’s Vice-President Hedayat Amin Arsala and His Highness the Aga Khan in November, 2002.^[1] This was followed by the innauguration of the Tajik-Afghan Friendship Bridge at Darwaz in July, 2004,^[2] and the Ishkashim bridge in October, 2006.^[3][4]

1. ^ Press Release: Aga Khan and Tajik and Afghan Leaders Open Bridge into Afghanistan - AKDN, November 3, 2002. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
2. ^ Press Release: Darwaz Bridge to strengthen commercial ties and Tajik-Afghan relations - AKDN, July 6, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
3. ^ Remarks by the Aga Khan at the Inauguration of the Ishkashim Bridge - AKDN, October 31, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
4. ^ News: Aga Khan and President Rahmonov inaugurate reconstructed bridge in Ishkashim - Asia-Plus, October 31, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.

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