Pakistan Thursday angrily reacted to the Afghan government's decision to cancel the visit of its army officers to the country for joint exercises.

Afghan Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that a visit of Afghan army officers to Pakistan has been cancelled over the recent 'Pakistani shelling' in parts of eastern Kunar province.

An 11-member team of Afghan National Army officers were scheduled to travel to Quetta at the invitation of the Pakistan Army to take part in a simulation military exercise and headquarters drills at the Quetta Staff College, an Afghan Foreign Ministry statement said.

"This visit will no longer take place due to the resumption of unacceptable Pakistani artillery shelling against different parts of Kunar province from across the Durand Line on Monday and Tuesday (March 25 and 26)," the statement said.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry rejected claims of shelling and termed the decision not to send the Afghan National Army (ANA) officers for military exercises as an "overreaction to a local incident".

"This response from Afghanistan appears to be an overreaction to a local issue. We have not received any message from the Afghan Defence Ministry but heard about it through the media", the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Aizaz Chaudhry told the local media.

He said there was some interaction at the border and there was reaction from Pakistani troops who remained very responsible and disciplined.

"The incident was contained at the local level. No heavy artillery was used. This was not an issue for which the reaction should have come at the state level," the spokesman said.

"Such incidents should not affect the ongoing peace process. This course at the Quetta Staff College added to confidence building between the two states. There should be no effort to derail the peace process," spokesman said.

Cross-border shelling and attacks have been a source of tension between the two uneasy neighbours for years. Pakistan denies any shelling on civilian areas in Afghanistan and said that they target those specific locations from where the militants in Afghanistan fire on Pakistani positions.

Pakistan says that militants, who had fled from military operation in the tribal regions, are now operating from Afghanistan border regions and routinely launch attacks on Pakistani posts and villages. Nearly 100 Pakistani security personnel and civilians have been killed in militant attacks from Afghan side of the border, officials say.

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