The Pakistani public reacted with protests all over the country and the government took measures adversely affecting the American exit strategy from Afghanistan, including the evacuation of Shamsi Airfield and closure of the NATO supply line in Pakistan.

[20] One US official said NATO forces had informed the Pakistani army's 11th Corps command near the western border that operations against Taliban insurgents would take place on that day.

Notably, the strike on Saturday came one day after Gen. John Allen, the commander of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, visited Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

"[68] The United States and Pakistan had nearly completed a deal to reopen crucial NATO supply routes into Afghanistan in June 2012, when Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said the US was "reaching the limits of our patience" over Islamabad's failure to root out Afghan insurgents in its tribal areas.

[69] Pakistan decided to reopen the supply lines after the US Secretary of State apologised on 3 July 2012 for the Salala incident via a telephone call to Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.

"[75] and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed the announcement to reopen the supply lines, stating it highlighted the important role Pakistan has in supporting a stable future for Afghanistan.

According to his analysis it would cause a problem if "the Pakistani Taliban attack bridges or decide to take these people head on in the tribal areas" connecting Pakistan to the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.

[73] American officials said according to The New York Times that Hillary Clinton's increasingly cordial relationship with the young Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar paid dividends in resolving the dispute between both countries over the Salala incident.

[75] After weeks of behind-the-scenes phone calls, e-mails and meetings between Nides and Abdul Hafeez Shaikh reached an agreement on the terms for the reopening of the NATO supply lines.

[81] The closure of the supply lines complicated the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, cost the United States more than $1 billion in extra shipping fees as a result of having to use the alternative routes through Central Asia[77] and also held up delivery of thousands of armoured vehicles and other equipment meant for the fledgling Afghan army and police, slowing US efforts to build Afghan forces that can stand up to the Taliban insurgency as foreign troops withdraw.

"[75] According to the BBC the reason for the long US refusal to apologise for the Salala incident was deep anger among Americans about the death of US soldiers in Afghanistan from attacks by militant groups with alleged connections to Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency.

[91] 560,000 rupees ($6,000) compensation per vehicle would be paid to the truck owners by NATO subcontractors for being out of work for seven months because of the blockade according to Rana Mohammad Aslam, vice-president of the All Pakistan Goods Carrier Association.

[107] While addressing a Senate committee, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar warned that a repeat incident could end Pakistan's support to the United States in its war against militancy.

[116] According to a Pakistani security official, Pakistan had upgraded to a "fully equipped air defence system" on the Afghan border which has the capability of detecting, tracing and shooting down any aircraft.

[123] In an official phone call to the United States, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said that the attacks demonstrated "complete disregard for international law and human life" and were "in stark violation of Pakistani sovereignty.

He advised Pakistani authorities to shoot down NATO aircraft should a similar event take place in the future, and to keep the supply lines closed, on the argument that the US cannot afford a war with Pakistan.

[131] Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik commented on the issue clarifying that the supply lines have not been suspended, rather been permanently shut down and the trucks would not be allowed to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

[133] The televised funeral ceremony of the soldiers who died was held in Peshawar and was attended by several high-level military and political figures, including the Chief of Army Staff.

[citation needed] While addressing a gathering of journalists at a military headquarters, Pakistan Army Major-General Ashfaq Nadeem described the Salala incident as a "deliberate act of aggression"[135] and said it was "next to impossible" that NATO did not know they were attacking Pakistani forces.

As of January 2012, foreign affairs minister Hina Rabbani Khar said Pakistan's ties with the United States were "still on hold" over the NATO air-attack and that until the re-evaluation was not complete, Washington could not ask Islamabad to pursue militant groups or assist in the Afghan peace process.

[143] Former president Pervez Musharraf heavily criticised the attack while giving a telephonic conference to the Karachi Press Club and advised the government to take strict measures at a diplomatic level.

[146] The NATO attack received considerable criticism and caused widespread outrage among the country's civil society[148] and media, with some perceiving it as an intentional act of war that may have been pre-planned.

[108] Members of the public demanded an end to the US alliance and pressurised the government to consider pulling out from the War on Terror, permanently halt all NATO supplies, expel American citizens in Pakistan and plan a tit-for-tat military retaliation.

[160][161] Leaders of Pakistani Christian communities also condemned the attack and pledged their support for the armed forces[162] along with calling for a UN inquiry; speaking on the occasion, the president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops' Conference said: "Our soldiers lost their lives in the line of duty.

[175] The commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), General John R. Allen, presented condolences to the family members and loved ones of the dead soldiers and ordered a "thorough investigation" into the matter.

Dennis J. Kucinich, a US Congressman from Ohio, said while speaking at an event organised by the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) that the United States must apologise to Pakistan and pay reparations to the families of the soldiers, adding: "I'm aware of complexities around US-Pakistan relations, but you are our brothers and sisters, and we need to help facilitate those who want to take care of people here.

"[179] The US embassy in Islamabad released a video statement on YouTube featuring Ambassador Cameron Munter standing in front of the American and Pakistani flags, in which he expressed his regrets for the attack.

[108][178] John Rees, a British socialist[204][205][206] and anti-war political activist, called the NATO attack an "extremely dangerous incursion" and argued that the US and its allies were creating instability in the nuclear-armed country.

[citation needed] Australian analyst Brian Cloughley said the attack would have severe consequences: "This is quite outrageous and I have no doubt it signifies the end of the last lingering shreds of trust that the Pakistani army had for the U.S.".

Pakistani monitors and experts on Afghanistan believed that at least two Afghan military officials deployed on the border, Brigadier General Aminullah Amarkhel and Colonel Numan Hatifi (of the 201st Silab Corps), have anti-Pakistan sentiments and links to anti-Pakistani elements.