In a move seen by some as the latest fallout from Wednesday morning’s US attack on South Waziristan, the Pakistani government has ordered that supply lines to NATO troops in Afghanistan be immediately severed for an indefinite period of time.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik later denied the report, insisting that the interruption was not retaliatory but only a temporary response to security reports, and that the link had already been restored. Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, however, said the move was intended to show how serious Pakistan was about its territorial integrity, saying “we have stopped the supply of oil and this will tell how serious we are”.

The move comes as thousands of protesters marched through South Waziristan’s capital of Wana chanting “death to America”. Pakistani media cited unnamed sources who said the move came as the government feared retaliation from South Waziristan tribesmen for the US attack.