Pakistan to scan all NATO containers to ensure they do not contain ammunition, weapons

Posted by R.J. Jacob ⋅ July 6, 2012 ⋅ Leave a Comment

All containers passing through Pakistan to supply NATO troops in Afghanistan are to be scanned to ensure they do not contain ammunition and weapons, customs officials said Friday.

Islamabad reopened overland routes to NATO convoys earlier this week after closing them in protest at a U.S. air raid that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at a border post in November.

A number of trucks have already crossed into Afghanistan, but the vast majority is still at the Arabian Sea port of Karachi, where they have stood idle for the past seven months.

Ties between Washington and Islamabad, fractious allies in the “war on terror,” plummeted following the air strike and blockade, which ended after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said sorry for the deaths.