The Bush administration appears to have given its tacit support to Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf’s suspension of the constitution and crackdown on thousands of government opponents. On Saturday, Musharraf replaced Pakistan’s chief justice and declared a state of emergency. Musharraf cited a rise in militant attacks inside Pakistan. But the move came just days before Pakistan’s Supreme Court was to rule on whether his re-election last month was legal. An estimated 1,800 people have been arrested, including dissident leaders, lawyers and human rights activists. Opposition leader and former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, condemned what she called “martial law.”

Benazir Bhutto: “We condemn this martial law. We will protest it. The people of Pakistan will not accept it.”

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the U.S. will review its annual $150 million aid flow to Pakistan. But The New York Times reports senior Pakistani officials say the White House reaction has been “muted” and that they don’t expect “real consequences.” Neither President Bush nor any senior U.S. official has called Musharraf to voice protest. Pakistani Information Minister Tariq Azim Khan said: “They would rather have a stable Pakistan — albeit with some restrictive norms — than have more democracy prone to fall in the hands of extremists. Given the choice, I know what our friends would choose.” We’ll have more on Pakistan after headlines.