A day after saying the developments were a matter of "deep concern", Washington has made it clear that while it did not want to pass any judgement on how "vulnerable" President Pervez Musharraf is as a result of the goings on, it continues to see him as "an ally in the war on terror" and a person who has advanced the cause of democracy in Pakistan.

"President Musharraf is a good friend and ally in the war on terror, that he has a vision for Pakistan in terms of political and economic and social reform. He is proceeding along that pathway.

We have encouraged the democratic development of Pakistan, and there have been changes that have been made, and President Musharraf has made progress in that regard," State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said during his briefing yesterday.

"What we would urge in this case is that both sides exercise the utmost degree of restraint in seeking to reduce the opportunity for any violent clashes between protesters and police," said McCormack.

"So what needs to happen is an accommodation between security forces -- that are charged with helping to maintain civil order and uphold the laws of Pakistan -- and protesters, while allowing those peaceful protesters to express their point of view," he added. He would not directly answer whether the protests made Musharraf more vulnerable, saying the actions will have to "play out" within the context of the Pakistani system.

"Whatever dispute there might be between two branches of government, a judiciary as well as an executive, needs to be worked out within the confines of Pakistani law, tradition and their constitution. So we're not going to try to impose a judgement on the situation," State Department spokesperson McCormack said.

The senior official did not want to comment on whether the police had used excessive force in trying to put down the dissent but noted the "confrontation" between police and demonstrators. "It's hard for me, standing here, 8,000 miles away, to make a judgement about exactly what transpired on the ground," McCormack said on a day he was peppered with questions on the Pakistan developments.

"In terms of the effect on President Musharraf, I'm not going to try to play political analyst standing up here. But the ability of a free press to operate in a developing democracy and the ability to freely express oneself in a developing democracy are important to the development of that democracy," he noted.

Calling President Musharraf "a patriot" who "is going to act in the best interests of Pakistan," McCormack said, "He clearly believes that working closely with the US, as well as others in the war on terror is important, because those terrorists that threaten the US as well as other countries around the world pose as great a threat to Pakistan's future as anything else."

Asked about the diplomatic contacts Washington has had and if the Secretary of State had talked to anyone, the spokesperson said that Secretary Rice had not spoken to anyone even though she has been updated on the situation.

"Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher was just recently in Pakistan. He had meetings with Pakistani officials at which they discussed the situation on the ground, as well as the events that have precipitated the protests," McCormack added.