US president George Bush has called on Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf to hold elections and give up his military post as soon as possible but declined to outline the consequences if the Pakistani leader ignored his plea.
Making his first comments on Pakistan's state of emergency since it was declared three days ago, Mr Bush said that secretary of state Condoleezza Rice called Mr Musharraf yesterday to express US concerns.
"I asked the secretary to call to convey this message, that we expect there to be elections as soon as possible and the president should remove his military uniform. Previous to his decision, we made it clear that these emergency measures would undermine democracy," Mr Bush said.
The US says it is reviewing its billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan but Mr Bush declined to discuss any cut in assistance and made a point of praising Mr Musharraf's co-operation in the "war on terror".
His call came as Pakistani police launched a sweeping crackdown on opposition to Gen Musharraf yesterday, thrashing protesters and arresting thousands as western powers stepped up pressure for an early end to emergency rule.
The first big street protests since Gen Musharraf assumed wide-ranging powers on Saturday were swiftly crushed. Riot police fired tear gas, baton-charged crowds and flung bloodied lawyers into prison vans. The interior ministry said at least 1,500 people had been picked up; opposition groups estimated over twice as many arrests.
Mr Bush said: "President Musharraf has been a strong fighter against extremists and radicals. He understands the dangers posed by radicals and extremists. After all, they tried to kill him three or four times. I hope he will restore democracy as quickly as possible."
Dr Rice spoke to Gen Musharraf as she flew back to Washington from a visit to the Middle East. Earlier, during a visit to the West Bank city of Ramallah, where she was meeting Palestinian leaders, she said the Pakistani leader should reverse course.
"We think that the best thing for Pakistan is to return to a constitutional path and then hold elections," she said.
"It is also true that President Musharraf said that he would take off his uniform and that would be an important step."
In Islamabad yesterday there was confusion about the timing of elections. The attorney general, Malik Qayuum, and the president of Gen Musharraf's party, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, said they would take place by mid-January as scheduled.
But prime minister Shaukat Aziz refused to commit to a date, saying only that polls would take place "as early as possible", leaving open the possibility of a delay of up to a year.
Gen Musharraf wields vast power since usurping the constitution on Saturday in a move analysts likened to martial law. Fundamental rights have been suspended, television stations censored and stringent media controls installed.
Despite the Bush administration's pledge to review aid to Pakistan, the Pentagon made it clear yesterday that joint US-Pakistani operations on the Afghan border would not be affected.
The US has given Pakistan $9.6 billion since 2001 and the Bush administration has asked Congress to approve another $800 million for the current budget year.
The Pentagon has postponed a meeting scheduled for this week in Islamabad between senior US and Pakistani defence officials "until such time that all the parties can focus on the very important issues at hand".
Defence secretary Robert Gates said that the administration wants to avoid disrupting its partnership with Pakistan in fighting al-Qaeda and other militants.