Musharraf telephoned Rep. Tom Lantos and Sen. Joseph Biden, both Democrats, who head the committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate that deal with foreign relations.

Biden said he told the Pakistani president it was critical that he allow the elections in January as planned and that he "take off his uniform" and "restore the rule of law."

President George W. Bush says Musharraf is committed to holding free elections in January and to resigning his Army position to continue as president.

"It is clear to me from our conversation that President Musharraf understands the consequences for his country and for relations with the United States if he does not return Pakistan to the path of democracy," Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a presidential candidate, said in a statement.

Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, would not to comment.

The Bush administration is reviewing its aid package to Pakistan, and several lawmakers have said they want to see new restrictions.

Also this week, Democratic Sen. John Kerry, a member of Biden's committee, was drafting a resolution that would condemn the military crackdown.

"President Musharraf must be told to revoke martial law, release the thousands of Pakistanis imprisoned in recent days, restore freedom of the press, relinquish his military position and proceed with democratic reforms," Democratic Rep. Jane Harman said upon returning from a trip to the Middle East.

"American military and economic aid should be suspended until he does so," she said.

White House officials say they are reviewing U.S. assistance to Pakistan in light of the developments. Such aid has amounted to $9.6 billion (euro6.6 billion) since 2001, not including another $800 million (euro549.9 million) the administration is requesting from Congress for the current budget year.

Musharraf has imposed a state of emergency he says is necessary to prevent a takeover by Islamic extremists. His actions, which include suspending his country's constitution and ousting its top judge, have drawn widespread criticism in the United States, including members of both parties in the U.S. Congress.

Democratic Rep. John Tierney said Congress should consider freezing any nonreimbursable aid to Pakistan, such as weapons provided to its military.

"I think it would get his attention," said Tierney, who chairs a foreign affairs subcommittee panel on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. "I don't know that it would force him to do anything, but it certainly would have an impact" because "it's money they perceive as important."

But at the same time, U.S. officials say they are worried that they might go too far in rebuking a close ally or hurting Pakistan's ability to go after terrorists within its borders.

Sen. Carl Levin, Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he is reviewing the 2008 defense authorization bill, now under negotiation with the House over its differences, and existing law to ensure there is adequate balance.

The goal is to support counterterrorism efforts "in a way which we don't in any way undermine the democratic forces in Pakistan. We've got to calibrate it," said Levin.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, met Tuesday with the head of the Pakistani election commission "to again reiterate our view that the elections need to take place as scheduled in January and need to take place in an atmosphere free from intimidation. The elections need to be conducted, as well, in a free, fair and transparent manner."

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte was to testify about Pakistan on Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It was unclear whether he would announce any changes to U.S. policy.

A senior State Department official said the administration's review probably would take time. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because discussions still were under way.

"Even for more cut-and-dried things like (military takeovers in) Fiji and Thailand, it took us a bit to figure out what we did and didn't want to do," the official said. The "level of complication on this is more akin to the review taken after the Palestinian elections."

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Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.