The defence committee of Pakistan's National Assembly held a special session to discuss the proposed US legislation, which has been introduced by Democrats in the US House of Representatives and is now before the Senate.
"Pakistan should curtail, or completely stop, its co-operation with the United States if the bill is enacted into a law," committee chief Shujaat Hussain told reporters.
In a unanimous resolution, the committee said that Pakistan's contribution in the global 'war on terror' launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Unites States had been greater than any other country's.
The committee called for the two houses of parliament to hold a joint session and take necessary action if the US bill is passed, Shujaat said. "Pakistan should take reciprocal action if the legislation is passed by the Congress," he added.
The recommendation of the committee reflects strong resentment in Pakistan government circles over the proposed US legislation, which has been repeatedly criticised by President Pervez Musharraf, a key US ally. US Vice President Dick Cheney had paid a surprise visit to Islamabad last week to urge Musharraf to 'do more' against al Qaeda and Taliban militants who, he said, were regrouping along the Afghan border.
But a senior administration official--widely believed to be Cheney himself--later denied that the vice president "went in to beat him (Musharraf) up. That's wrong." Pakistan says it has captured more than 700 al Qaeda operatives who came into the country from neighbouring Afghanistan after US-led forces ousted the Taliban regime in late 2001.