Hagel Urges Pakistan to Reopen Afghan Supply Route --- ISLAMABAD—U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel pressed Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to help restart the flow of equipment across the Afghan border, saying a key element of American aid could be cut off if the main route from Kabul was not reopened to coalition supply convoys. -- For his part, Mr. Sharif pushed Mr. Hagel on the issues of drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas, counterterrorism operations which Pakistan wants ended.-- Washington is keen to get the often difficult relationship with Pakistan back on track and American officials repeatedly insisted that despite the difficult issues on the table the talks were amicable. -- Defense officials said Mr. Hagel didn’t threaten to cut off aid, but instead explained to Pakistanis that it would be politically difficult to reimburse them for military expenses if Islamabad can’t reopen the highway linking Kabul to the port of Karachi. -- Protesters affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of former cricket star Imran Khan blocked the road around the city of Peshawar to coalition convoys last month, demanding an end to U.S. drone attacks. While PTI sits in opposition to Mr. Sharif in the federal parliament, the stridently anti-American movement controls the Peshawar-based provincial government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on the Afghan border. If Mr. Sharif were to use force to disperse these protests, it could cause a dramatic political crisis in the country. -- The PTI protests have led U.S. officials to halt the transport of MRAPs and other military equipment out of Afghanistan. -- American officials said they believe drivers bringing the American equipment across the Afghanistan border could be threatened. - More, Julian E. Barnes - WSJ