Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, acting against prior warnings from senior American officials, took the brazen step Saturday of declaring a state of emergency.

His justification was continued fighting between Pakistan troops and tribal and Islamist forces, as well as recent suicide bomb attacks on troops, police and installations which have left hundreds dead. The largest of these was the bombing of the convoy of returning former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto last month, which killed more than 140 and injured hundreds of others.

Gen. Musharraf's critics say he imposed the sweeping rights crackdown to protect his political position, and he is certainly no stranger to that kind of force. He originally seized power from civilian authorities in a 1999 bloodless coup d'etat. He was reelected president by the parliament and provincial assemblies Oct. 6, but faced tough parliamentary elections which his party might well have lost in January. He has also been the center of a legal storm over whether he can remain head of the army while serving as president, and he had pledged to step down from his army position.

These are dark days for Pakistan. Its constitution is suspended. Its security forces have moved against the Supreme Court, whose chief justice was the focal point of opposition to Mr. Musharraf. The general has also shut down independent television stations and placed under house arrest some political opponents.

Gen. Musharraf's action puts the United States in a tough spot. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had asked him not to impose an emergency and President Bush yesterday told him to continue along the path toward elections. The United States has furnished Pakistan some $11 billion in aid, 75 percent of it going to the military, since the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

There is no argument that Pakistan's -- Gen. Musharraf's -- help is essential in the U.S. effort to wage war against the Taliban and al-Qaida in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area.

Thus, the United States is probably reduced to urging Gen. Musharraf to hold elections as soon as possible. Some reports say he may set elections in one or two years, instead of in two months. The term of parliament, scheduled to be dissolved when he is inaugurated as president Nov. 15, would be extended and the question of his serving as both president and army chief would be shelved.

Pakistan may be in chaos, but for the United States, this is an issue where stability, security and military cooperation with a key ally take precedence over a desire to see democracy advance. That's too bad, but it's probably an inescapable reality.