WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: The US military has halted the shipment of its retrograde cargo from Afghanistan through Pakistan because of protests over drone strikes, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday.

He said the protests put at risk the drivers of the trucks carrying the equipment but indicated that the shipments could be resumed `in the near future`.

(According to AFP, former cricketer Imran Khan`s party claimed a `tactical success` onWednesday after the US military suspended shipments of equipment out of Afghanistan via Torkham. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf spokeswoman Shireen Mazari hailed the Pentagon`s move as a `tactical success` but said the protests would continue. `The US decision to halt Nato supplies through Torkham doesn`t affect our protest and we will continue our protest until drone strikes arestopped,` she told AFP.) The United States uses the route, known as the Pakistan Ground Line Communication, for supplying its troops in Afghanistan, including the much-needed fuel for military vehicles.

Recently, the US also started using the route for moving out heavy defence equipment ahead of an expected withdrawal of its combat troops from Afghanistan in 2014.

`We are aware protests have affected one of the primary commercial transit routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, spokesman Mark Wright told reporters in Washington.

`We have voluntarily halted US shipments of retrograde cargo through the Pakistan Ground Line of Communication from Torkham Gate through Karachi to ensure the safety of the drivers contracted to move our equipment.The Pentagon statement, however, did not clarify if the decision would also affect other shipments, such as supplies for US and Nato troops in Afghanistan.

Mr Wright pointed out that the United States had other options as well to move equipment out of the land-locked Afghanistan.

While reporting the decision, the US media noted that other options were far more costly, including the shipments via the Northern Distribution Network, which goes through Russia and Central Asia.

The United States used this route for almost a year, when Pakistan closed the ground routeafter a US air strike at a border post killed 28 Pakistani soldiers in November 2011. Using the Northern Distribution Network then was costing $104 million a month, roughly $87m more than the Pakistan route.

The United States still uses the northern route for bringing sensitive military equipment and supplies for its troops in Afghanistan.

The decision to `voluntarily` haltshipments through Pakistan followed PTI-led protests along the route against US drone strikes.

Protesters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been harassing drivers of the trucks carrying Nato provisions and often forced them to turn back.

Diplomatic observers in Washington say that while Islamabad remains committed to continue the supplies through the ground route, it has done little to stop the disruptions caused by the protesters.

The observers also pointed out that the other Pakistani route, which goes through Balochistan, was still operative.

The disruption of supplies only adds to Washington`s woes in Afghanistan where the country`s president is also refusing to sign a bilateral security agreement for legalising the stay of 8,000 to 12,000 US troops after the 2014 pullout.

US and Nato officials have warned that if President Hamid Karzai fails to sign the security deal soon, they would be forced to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

They have also warned that a complete withdrawal of their troops from Afghanistan could also put at risk billions of dollars of international, mainly US, aid as donors would be reluctant to fund Afghan security forces if they could not monitor how the money was spent.A spokesperson for US Embassy in Islamabad, Meghan Gregonis, said: `We are aware there are protests occurring along one of the primary commercial transit routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Shipments of US retrograde and Nato/Isaf cargo through the Pakistan Ground Line of Communication (GLOC) are not moving via Torkham at this time because we are concerned about the safety of the drivers contracted who move our equipment.

Ms Meghan said shipments continue to move on other routes and no long-term impact on retrograde movement of US goods was being expected.

`While we favour shipping cargo via Pakistan because ofcost, we have built flexibility and redundancy into our overall system of air, sea and ground routes to transport cargo into and out of Afghanistan,` she said.

The embassy claimed that the blockade of the route by PTI was affecting local commercial trade.

`Both Pakistani and Afghan business interests are suffering as are the people who depend on products, including perishables, that are shipped via this route, she added.

The embassy said it attached importance to the ground routes through Pakistan and hoped to resume the shipments once they were safe for the movement of the trucks hired by US and Nato.