Lahore, Nov 24: President Pervez Musharraf’s move to impose emergency rule and jail thousands of political and human right activists was not a surprise for the Bush Administration, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has said.

The WSJ states that Musharraf’s aides had forewarned US diplomats of the November 3 announcement in a series of meetings, according to Pakistani and US officials.

The paper says that one of the advisers said US criticism was muted, which some Pakistanis interpreted as a sign they could proceed.

"You don’t like that option? You give us one," the adviser says he told the American interlocutors.

"There were no good options," the WSJ quoted the adviser, as saying.

However, a US official says that the talks were part of "intensive efforts" to prevent the emergency.

The paper also states that State Department officials deny that the US undercut Pakistani democracy by allying itself with Musharraf.

They say Washington never gave the signal that it would acquiesce to emergency rule.

Meanwhile, State Department strategists say they are continuing to try to forge an alliance between Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto.

They say they are hoping political temperatures will cool, after which the pair could meet and outline an agenda, the Daily Times quoted the WSJ, as saying. (ANI)