When Congressman John Tierney visited Pakistan in April to look at U.S. relations with a country that's pivotal in the United States' fight against terrorism, he felt the political tensions mounting, he said.

Now, thousands of people are protesting in the streets, demanding an election that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has been promising for years, and Tierney is not surprised at the chaos.

"We came back with a forewarning of what's going on now," the Salem Democrat said yesterday.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the United States has financially supported Musharraf in return for his help eradicating terrorist training camps. However, since his coup to power in 1999, people in Pakistan believe Musharraf's rule has become more oppressive, and many no longer back the dictator.

Tierney, chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, returned to the United States and recommended that instead of supporting one particular leader, the Bush administration should support the people. Also, instead of giving more than $10 billion since 2001 to Musharraf, much of which was for him to spend as he saw fit, the money should go toward education and helping Pakistani people make a living that doesn't include blowing anything up, he said.

"The bottom line is we need a partner there to fight terrorism," Tierney said. "The best way is through a partner who has support of the Pakistani people, and the only way to do that is through an open election so they're invested in their leader."

That election, however, keeps getting pushed back. It was originally scheduled for Jan. 15 but has now been moved to February, and there's a sentiment that Musharraf only said that to quell the building political unrest, Tierney said.

The final straw, however, came Nov. 3 when Musharraf declared a state of emergency, suspended the constitution, removed the chief justice of the Supreme Court and censored the media. Musharraf said it was to fight terrorism, but many suspect it has more to do with an upcoming Supreme Court vote that would make or break his chances for re-election.

That, at least, seems to be the view of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who recently returned to Pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile. People suspect that she has been trying to cut a deal with Musharraf so she can run for office, Tierney said, but after he declared emergency rule she countered by organizing a political protest.

It was a chaotic scene Friday as police struggled to keep demonstrators at bay and arrested more than 5,000 of her supporters. Bhutto is leader of the Pakistan People's Party.

Police used barbed wire and concrete barricades to trap Bhutto inside her home in Islamabad, the capital, for most of the day and sealed the roads to Rawalpindi, the city she planned to march in.

Meanwhile, Tierney said, Musharraf should have seen trouble coming because there was growing dissent about his dual role as both president and chief of the military. Musharraf was afraid the Supreme Court was about to rule that he had to choose one role or the other, but he was also afraid of giving up his military uniform and then not getting re-elected.

"When we met with him, he probably thought it was something that was going to blow over," Tierney said. "He just didn't see it, or at least didn't admit he saw it."

On Wednesday, President Bush called Musharraf with what he described as a very plain message: "The United States wants you to have the elections as scheduled and take your uniform off."

However clear that message may be, Tierney said, it should have been stronger. It should have included advice to reinstate the Supreme Court chief justice, release the incarcerated protesters and establish an interim form of government to keep peace. He said the United States should also reconsider the money its sending to Pakistan - which is something the administration began to do Friday.

"At least some part of the aid ought to be frozen if it is not being used for development and the people," Tierney said. "This administration should be more firm in what it requires and come down on the side of the Pakistani people."

Material from The Associated Press contributed to this report.