WASHINGTON, May 28: There has been no change in US assessment about President Pervez Musharraf and Washington continues to see him as a key ally in the war against terror, say US experts.

In their comments in television talk shows and newspaper articles published this weekend, the experts said the crisis sparked by the suspension of the chief justice in Pakistan has had little impact on Washington’s attitude towards Islamabad. “US policy in Pakistan is to move toward free and fair elections. But in practice, that comes in well behind the anti-terrorism agenda," said Teresita C. Schaffer, a former US ambassador and director of the South Asia programme at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

Daniel Markey, a former State Department official, who is now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that whatever Musharraf's flaws, the United States is more comfortable with him than it would be with anyone hoping to take his place.

"Until you see a visible improvement in terms of an alternative, you are very reluctant to let go of what you have," Mr Markey said. "Washington will be the last to jump ship."

One article quoted a senior US diplomat in Islamabad as saying that the United States will continue to support President Musharraf. "We are not pulling back from that relationship in any way," the diplomat said.

Media reports also quoted extensively from recent statements by senior US officials on Pakistan’s judicial crisis.