Pakistan on Thursday closed a border crossing with Afghanistan used by NATO forces after a bomb hit an oil tanker, regional media said, citing government sources.
Police officer Mohammad Tayab said the Chaman crossing was closed "for security reasons" after a blast killed a bomb disposal expert who was attempted to defuse a explosive device attached to an oil tanker, the Dawn News TV channel reported.
Taliban insurgents often attack Afghan-bound NATO convoys, but Pakistan does not usually close the border crossings, the TV channel said.
Pakistani political experts said the shut-down may be linked to recent Pakistani-U.S. rows.
U.S.-Pakistani relations soured after al-Qaeda's leader, Osama bin Laden, was killed in early May by U.S. Seals operating in Pakistan without Pakistani permission.
Relations further deteriorated after comments by U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, who accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban-backed Haqqani militant network, responsible for September's attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
A senior Republican U.S. senator, Lindsey Graham said on Tuesday that Washington may push for military action against Islamabad.
Pakistani officials have denied the allegations, saying that Islamabad may break ties with Washington over the accusations in terrorism. Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani said that he was concerned by the U.S. statements and "committed to defending Pakistan's independence and sovereignty."
