KARACHI, PAKISTAN — President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule in Pakistan plunged the country into fresh crisis Saturday, clouding the prospects for a return to civilian rule and posing the greatest quandary yet for the United States in its dealings with an essential but problematic ally.
Saturday's proclamation gives sweeping powers to Musharraf, an army general who seized the presidency in a coup eight years ago but has seen his grip on power falter in recent months.
He wasted little time in wielding his new authority, suspending the constitution, sending troops into the streets and deposing the chief justice, who had been a particular thorn in his side. He jammed private TV channels that have been critical of his rule and cut telephone service in Islamabad, the capital.
In a televised address to the nation late Saturday, Musharraf declared that Pakistan was at a "dangerous" juncture and that Islamic extremists were threatening the authority of the government. But critics denounced the emergency measures as driven more by domestic political woes than threats to national security.
Musharraf has been considered a crucial U.S. partner since his decision, in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, to aid the United States in its war against Islamic militants, including Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But even as the United States pours billions of dollars of military aid into the country, many have questioned the depth of his commitment to fighting the radicals.
The Bush administration expressed deep concern Saturday, but stopped short of personal condemnation of the general, whom it has supported through months of growing unpopularity among his people.
"The U.S. has made clear that it does not support extra-constitutional measures, because those measures would take Pakistan away from the path of democracy and civilian rule," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters Saturday while traveling from Turkey to Israel. "And whatever happens, we will be urging a quick return to the path of constitutional rule and constitutional order. . . . We are urging calm on all the parties."
She declined to say whether Musharraf had given the United States advance notice of his actions, but said Washington had told him many times that it would oppose such a move. In August, when the general considered imposing a state of emergency, Rice called him at 2 a.m. Pakistan time and dissuaded him.
