Pakistan threatens US alliance

Pakistani legislators have threatened to halt counter-terrorism cooperation with Washington if US military aid is made conditional on Islamabad's commitment to fighting the Taliban and al-Qaida. The link, contained in a bill that has cleared the US House of Representatives, could sour relations between Washington and Islamabad. "Pakistan should curtail or completely stop its cooperation with the United States if the bill is enacted into a law," said Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, chief of the defense committee of Pakistan's lower house of parliament. The committee said Pakistan's contribution in the global "war on terror" launched after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States had been greater than any other country's. If it becomes law, the condition "calls for a reciprocal action from Pakistan, including complete or partial non-cooperation in the war against terror," the defense committee of Pakistan's lower house of parliament said. The committee called for the two houses of parliament to hold a joint session and take necessary action if the US bill is passed, Hussain said. The recommendation of the committee reflects strong resentment in Pakistani government circles over the proposed legislation, which has been repeatedly criticized by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, a key US ally. Vice President Dick Cheney paid a surprise visit to Islamabad last week to urge Musharraf to do more against al-Qaida and Taliban militants whom he said were regrouping along the Afghan border. Pakistan says it has captured more than 700 al-Qaida operatives who came into the country from neighboring Afghanistan after US-led forces ousted the Taliban regime in late 2001.