Pakistani Party Hails U.S. Suspension Of Military Shipments

Security officials stand near a truck carrying supplies at the Afghan-Pakistani border. (file photo)

An anti-American political party in Pakistan has claimed "tactical success" after the U.S. military suspended shipments of equipment out of Afghanistan through Pakistan.

The Pentagon said the shipments had been temporarily halted from Torkham Gate through Karachi to ensure drivers' safety.

Reports say activists of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf (PTI) party have been forcibly searching trucks in an effort to halt NATO cargo in protest over drone strikes.

PTI spokeswoman Shireen Mazari told France's AFP news agency that the U.S. decision will not affect the protest, saying it will continue "until drone strikes are stopped."

Torkham is a transit point used by U.S.-led NATO forces, which are preparing to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Alternate routes to Afghanistan's north through Central Asia take longer and are more expensive.


Based on reporting by AFP