Ms Khar said attacks like Saturday's strike on military outposts which she said left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead were "totally unacceptable" as they contravened international law and violated Pakistani sovereignty.
The governor of Pakistan's north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Masood Kausar, had Saturday put the death toll from the air strikes at 26.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) says it is "highly likely" that its aircraft carried out the raid, inflaming US-Pakistani relations still reeling from the May killing of Osama bin Laden on Pakistan soil.
ISAF commander General John Allen has promised a full investigation and offered his condolences to the families of the dead and wounded Pakistani soldiers.
The Pakistani foreign office said Ms Khar spoke to Ms Clinton in the early hours of Sunday (local time) to inform her of decisions made by the defence committee of the cabinet, including blocking vital NATO supply routes for the estimated 130,000 US-led foreign troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"The foreign minister conveyed to the secretary of state, the deep sense of rage felt across Pakistan at the senseless loss of 24 soldiers due to the NATO/ISAF attack on the Pakistani post," it said.
Ms Khar said the attack "negates the progress made by the two countries on improving relations and forces Pakistan to revisit the terms of engagement."
The statement said Ms Clinton offered her condolences over the loss of life, said she was deeply saddened by the incident and conveyed the US government's intention to work with Pakistan to resolve the issue.
Relations review
Pakistan has already ordered a review of all arrangements with the US and NATO - including diplomatic, political, military and intelligence activities.
It has given the US 15 days to vacate a controversial air base in south-western Pakistan that is reportedly used as a hub for covert CIA drone strikes.
Pakistan's prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, has described the incident as an attack on Pakistan's sovereignty.
"I discussed this with the leader of the opposition and with other Pakistani leaders. That's why our nation has become united for the defence of the country," he said.
The attack took place about 2:00am (local time) in the Baizai area of Mohmand, where Pakistani troops are fighting Taliban militants.
A senior Pakistani military officer says efforts are underway to bring the bodies of the slain soldiers to Ghalanai, the headquarters of Mohmand tribal region.
NATO troops frequently carry out operations against Taliban insurgents close to the border with Pakistan, which in many places is unmarked, although the extent to which those operations are coordinated with Pakistan is unclear.
Afghan and US officials accuse Pakistani troops at worst of colluding with the Taliban or at best of standing by while insurgents fire across the border from Pakistani soil, often in clear sight of Pakistani border posts.
At the same time Pakistan, battling its own Taliban insurgency in the north-west and dependent on billions of dollars in US aid, gives the US-led war effort in Afghanistan vital logistics support.
AFP/ABC
No comments:
Post a Comment