ISLAMABAD, April 24: Pakistan on Thursday lodged a protest with Nato and Afghan forces against their shelling of its border areas and a security checkpoint which left a soldier dead.

“We have lodged a strong protest with Afghanistan and Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces and told them in clear terms that such incidents must not be repeated,” Foreign Office spokesman Mr Muhammad Sadiq told newsmen at his weekly press briefing.

The spokesman said the protest had been lodged at higher levels according to the agreed mechanism for addressing such violations.

“We emphasised that military action on the Pakistan side is the exclusive responsibility of Pakistani forces.”

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made a similar statement in the National Assembly in response to an adjournment motion moved by Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman. Further debate on the issue is likely in the lower house of parliament in coming days.

The incident took place before dawn on Wednesday when Afghan Taliban clashed with the ISAF forces and Afghanistan National Army troops. The ISAF and Afghan troops then shelled the Bajaur tribal area of Pakistan and intruded into a security post, killing a soldier and seriously injuring the other.

The incident took place at a time when Afghan Foreign Minister Dr Rangin Dadfar Spanta was in Pakistan for talks in which both countries pledged to make a fresh beginning in their chequered relations.

However, Pakistan did not raise the issue with the Afghan minister.

Mr Sadiq said the protest had not been lodged in the bilateral talks because the forum was not part of the agreed mechanism for dealing with such incidents. Besides, he said, enough details about skirmishes were not available at that time.

About the resumption of a joint Jirga peace process with Afghnaistan, the spokesman said it had been agreed that a mini-jirga (Jirga-gai) would be held in Islamabad and its date would soon be announced.

“The process for convening the mini-jirga has been set into motion.” He said Pakistan was ready to allow the transit of wheat flour from India to Afghanistan if the Afghan government asked for the facility. He stressed that it be only for wheat flour.

Responding to criticism of the government’s policy of reconciliation with militants, particularly Washington’s reservations that the accord would allow terrorists to regroup and bolster their strength, Mr Sadiq said: “We are reaching out to tribal leaders and notables as part of the political element of our overall strategy in fight against terrorism.”

He said the new government had decided to embark on the reconciliation process with the realisation that military action alone would not be effective to end terrorism permanently.

About the Hariri-style UN probe into the murder of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, he said that an internal process within the government was still continuing and further action would be taken once it was completed.Reporting major progress on the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, the spokesman said almost all legal, financial and technical aspects of the project had been finalized with Iran.

“The gas sales and purchase agreement has been initialled and once approved, it will be signed by Pakistan and Iran.”

A broad agreement on transportation fee with India has also been reached, while the issue of transit fee was being discussed.

In reply to a question, the spokesman said that Pakistan was actively considering an Indian plea for clemency for an Indian man condemned to death for spying and carrying out bomb blasts in Pakistan.

“The issue is under active consideration. We have received a request from the Indian government ... and a decision will be taken in due course.”

His comments came as members of Singh’s family were in Lahore to meet him in a prison.