Hagel warns Pakistan leaders over border protests

Sharif's office also said the prime minister conveyed Pakistan's deep concern over continuing U.S. drone strikes, “stressing that drone strikes were counter-productive to our efforts to combat terrorism and extremism on an enduring basis,” the statement said.

Shireen Mazari, the information secretary for the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said in a statement Monday it's time for the government to speak forcefully to the U.S. to demand an end to the drone attacks.

The party is leading the protests.

Pakistan has called the drone strikes a violation of the country's sovereignty, but the issue is muddied by the fact that Islamabad and the military have supported at least some of the strikes in the past.

Following their meeting in Rawalpindi, Hagel and Sharif echoed each other's desire to work to strengthen the countries' ties.

The top military men discussed the defense relationship between the two countries and regional stability, according to the Pakistani army chief's office.

Hagel's warning to the Pakistanis about the supply route reflects what has been a growing frustration among U.S. lawmakers with Pakistan in recent years.

The Pakistani government blocked the supply crossings for seven months following U.S. airstrikes that accidentally killed two dozen soldiers on the Afghan border in November 2011.