JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Sunday the United States would review billions of dollars in financial aid to ally Pakistan after President Pervez Musharraf declared emergency rule.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Middle East envoy Tony Blair (R) pose during their meeting in Jerusalem November 4, 2007, in this picture released by the U.S. Embassy. REUTERS/Matty Stern/U.S. Embassy/Handout
Rice, who was speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, also urged Musharraf to call elections and reiterated U.S. displeasure at emergency rule, which she advised against in two phone calls with Pakistan’s president on October 31.
“Obviously we are going to have to review the situation with aid, in part because we have to see what may be triggered by certain statutes,” Rice said.
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.
“I am disappointed at his decision. I think the decision sets Pakistan back in terms of the considerable progress it had made along the road to democratic change,” Rice said.
Asked whether she regretted that the United States had put so much faith in Musharraf as a leader, Rice responded: “The United States has never put all of its chips on Musharraf.”
Pakistan has received about $10 billion in U.S. aid since 2001, with much of that in counter-terrorism assistance.
Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, a Democratic presidential candidate and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described the situation in Pakistan as “a real mess” and agreed that U.S. aid should be under review.
“I’m not sure how much good that military aid we’re giving him to fight the extremists is doing us anyway,” Biden said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
“From the brief briefing I got last night (from White House officials), I don’t know that they have any notion of what they’re going to do right now,” he said. “There’s still this faint hope that this martial law will last only a day or two, but I think we’re kidding ourselves.”
Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson, a former senator from Tennessee, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that it was too soon to pull U.S. aid from Musharraf’s government, but said “we’ve got to play hardball with him.”
‘COMPLICATED MATTER’
Pakistan this year is receiving about $700 million in U.S. economic and military assistance and is expected to receive more than $800 million in 2008. It also receives billions of dollars in counter-terrorism assistance.
“We have to be very cognizant of the fact that some of the assistance that has been going directly to Pakistan is directly related to counter-terrorism missions. This is a complicated matter,” Rice said.
Rice, on a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, said the United States had made clear to Pakistan’s leaders before emergency rule was announced that such a move would not be supported by the United States.
The United States has been pushing hard for Pakistan to go ahead with elections, which were due in January. On Sunday, Pakistani leaders indicated the timetable was under review.
“It is in the best interests of Pakistan and the Pakistani people for there to be a prompt return to the constitutional course, for there to be an affirmation that elections will be held for a new parliament and for all parties to act with restraint in what is obviously a very difficult situation,” Rice told reporters.
Middle East envoy Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, said the situation was “obviously a tragedy for Pakistan.”
“The sooner that we return to the pledges to restore democracy that were set out, the better,” he said on CNN’s “Late Edition.”
“But it’s a very, very difficult situation this indeed, and it’s a situation that if it’s not resolved in the right way, I think it’s extremely worrying for the whole of the world, not just for Pakistan.”
Since emergency rule was declared, opposition figures have been rounded up and the nationwide crackdown continued Sunday.
Authorities arrested a top leader of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s party and several other opposition figures.
In August, when Musharraf was considering emergency rule, Rice made two urgent phone calls and strongly urged him not to adopt such measures.
Pervez Musharraf in 2004. 
Hundreds of people were rounded up by security forces in Pakistan, one day after Pervez Musharraf declared emergency rule, effectively martial law. Scores of opposition figures were among those detained.

Javed Hashmi, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) party, the party of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was arrested. "Musharraf's days are numbered. The time has come to end the political role of the army," he told reporters in Multan before being taken away by police. Nawaz Sharif said to an Indian news channel: "We have not witnessed such a grave situation in the 60 years of Pakistan's history."

Also arrested were pro-democracy attorney, Munir Malik, and the leader of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Asma Jehangir. Both have been involved in protests against Musharraf in past years. Troops also arrested the staff of the Commission and began to close off and surround government buildings.

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who recently returned home, addressed supporters in Karachi. "This is a situation worse than an emergency. The people of Pakistan will not accept this," Bhutto said.

On Saturday, Musharraf laid out his reasons for the emergency rule. "Please do not expect or demand your level of democracy, which you learned over a number of centuries. Please also do not demand or expect your number of civil rights, human rights or civil liberties … Please give us time. For me and every Pakistani, Pakistan comes first," said Musharraf in a statement.

In a "charge sheet" levied against the judiciary, the government said: "... (T)here has been increasing interference by some members of the judiciary in government policy, adversely affecting economic growth, in particular," adding that there was "constant interference in executive functions."

The government further accused the judiciary of having "weakened the writ of the government, the police force ... been completely demoralised and ...fast losing its efficacy to fight terrorism, and intelligence agencies ... thwarted in their activities and prevented from pursuing terrorists."

Parliamentary elections may be delayed. The current Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz said, at a news conference, that the government is still committed to democracy, but "the government is deliberating on the election schedule."

"Now that we have emergency rule, parliament's term can be extended by one year," said Aziz. Pakistan was due to have a general election on January 15, 2008.
Presidential Palace on June 27, 2007.
Meanwhile, the United States has said it will review the financial aid that is providing Pakistan. United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters, while in Jerusalem: "Obviously we are going to have to review the situation with aid, in part because we have to see what may be triggered by certain statutes."

The US has given an estimated US$10 billion in aid to Pakistan since 2001, primarily for counter-terrorism. This year Pakistan is receiving about $700 million in assistance.

"We have to be very cognizant of the fact that some of the assistance that has been going directly to Pakistan is directly related to counter-terrorism missions. This is a complicated matter," Rice said. She also condemned the declaration of emergency rule, saying "it's highly regrettable that Pakistan's president has declared a state of martial law. The U.S. does not support extra constitutional measures."

US Senator Joe Biden, the chairperson on the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations agreed that a review is needed. "I'm not sure how much good that military aid we're giving him to fight the extremists is doing us anyway," he said on television program, ''Face the Nation''.

Tony Blair, special envoy for the Quartet on the Middle East said on ''Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer'': "The sooner that we return to the pledges to restore democracy that were set out, the better. But it's a very, very difficult situation this indeed, and it's a situation that if it's not resolved in the right way, I think it's extremely worrying for the whole of the world, not just for Pakistan."