Pakistan has asked Afghanistan's Taleban rulers to close their consulate in the southern port city of Karachi.
A spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry (Aziz Ahmed Khan) is quoted as saying the Taleban has been asked to recall its embassy staff from Karachi, adding that the request was effective immediately.
The spokesman did not give any reason for the order.
Karachi is Pakistan's largest city and its financial capital. It is also a center of Muslim fundamentalist activity and has been the scene of large protests against the U-S bombing campaign in Afghanistan.
Pakistan this week asked the Taleban ambassador to Islamabad to refrain from using his daily press briefings to attack the United States. Islamabad says the practice violates diplomatic norms.
Pakistan supports the U-S-led war on terrorism. It is the only country maintaining diplomatic relations with the Taleban, which is under U-S attack for harboring Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist network.