WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States had cautioned Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf against declaring emergency rule and urged him on Saturday to stick to his pledge to hold free elections early next year.
"This action is very disappointing," said White House National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
"President Musharraf needs to stand by his pledges to have free and fair elections in January and step down as chief of army staff before retaking the presidential oath of office," Johndroe added.
Musharraf imposed emergency rule on Saturday in a bid to reassert his flagging authority against challenges from Islamist militants, a hostile judiciary and political rivals.
"All parties involved should move along the democratic path peacefully and quickly," Johndroe said.
Earlier, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, while on a visit to Turkey, said she was "deeply disturbed" by Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule, calling it a step backward for democracy.
"The U.S. has made very clear that it does not support extra-constitutional measures as they would take Pakistan away from the path of democracy and civilian rule," Rice told reporters as she was taking off from Turkey.
"We will be urging the commitment to hold free and fair elections be kept and we will be urging calm on all parties," she said while en route to Jerusalem.
Rice said she had spoken multiple times recently to Pakistan's leaders as had other Bush administration officials and expressed strong U.S. reservations about declaring emergency rule. She said she had not spoken to Musharraf since he made the announcement on Saturday. Continued...
Pervez Musharraf has invoked emergency rule in Pakistan according to state television. Independent stations have gone off the air.
Pervez Musharraf has ruled Pakistan since 1999
Reports say that police have surrounded the Supreme Court of Pakistan, while the judges are still inside. The court is deciding whether Musharraf was eligible to run in last month's election, which he won. The Supreme Court has stated that Musharraf does not have the authority to declare the state of emergency, which includes a suspension of the Constitution.

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who recently returned home, is currently out of the country, visiting family in Dubai. 

''Dawn News'', a private television station in Pakistan had stated that sources said that a declaration of emergency rule was imminent. ''Dawn News'' and other private news organizations then went off the air. Some reports are also saying that land and cell lines into the capital are not functioning, but it is not clear if this is deliberate or is due to high traffic or some other concern. 

Most other countries have responded negatively to this news. The United States said that it was "disappointed" by the move while the United Kingdom's foreign secretary said that it was vital that Pakistan "abides by the commitment to hold free and fair elections on schedule".