Amid speculation over imposition of emergency or martial law in Pakistan, the United States has said it will not support 'any extra constitutional means' in the country.
While refusing to speculate on the ongoing events in Pakistan, where security is worsening and President Pervez Musharraf is facing a legal challenge to his re-election, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said moderate forces should prepare the political space so that free and fair elections can take place in the country.
"We've been very clear that the important steps that have to be taken in Pakistan is that, first of all, Pakistan needs to prepare for and hold free and fair elections," she said.
Rice said, "The political space needs to be prepared by moderate forces beginning to work together, which is why we've been supportive of moderate forces like Mrs (Benazir) Bhutto's return."
"The moderate forces have a common enemy in the extremists," the Secretary of State told reporters on her way to Turkey, where she will hold talks with Ankara on the issue of Kurdish insurgents.
Rice said Washington was in constant touch with the Pakistani government and political leaders, but added that "I'm not going to speculate on what might happen".
When asked if she or President George W Bush had advised Musharraf not to declare martial law, she said, "I'm not going to get into the details of our conversations, but I think it would be quite obvious that the US wouldn't be supportive of extra-constitutional means".