A key figure in Pakistan's new government told two top U.S. envoys on Tuesday there needs to be a change in President Pervez Musharraf's policy of using the power of the army against Islamic militants. The call came as a new prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, took office, closing the book on eight years of military rule. President Bush (web|news|bio) phoned Gilani after his swearing-in and invited him to Washington at his convenience. Gilani's office quoted the new premier as saying Pakistan would "continue to fight terrorism."

But it was clear Pakistan's civilian rulers are rethinking counterterrorism strategy, amid concern that use of military force against al-Qaida (web|news) and Taliban has provoked a bloody militant backlash.

Partners in the incoming coalition government have said they would negotiate with some militant groups - an approach that has drawn criticism from Washington, the source of about $10 billion in aid to Pakistan since it joined the war on terror in 2001.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher held a flurry of meetings with Pakistani leaders Tuesday.

Their first talks were with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted in Musharraf's 1999 coup and is now demanding the president's resignation.

Sharif said he told the American envoys there was "no longer a one-man show in Pakistan" and that the new parliament - elected in February polls that dealt a crushing defeat to Musharraf's allies - would decide after exhaustive debate how Pakistan should approach Islamic extremism.

He lashed out at Musharraf's U.S.-backed policies, saying they had led to a wave of suicide bombings that killed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and many others, and argued the security of Pakistan must not be sacrificed to protect other countries.

"It is unacceptable that while giving peace to the world we make our own country a killing field," he told reporters.

"If America wants to see itself clean of terrorism, we also want our villages and towns not to be bombed," he said, alluding to recent airstrikes near the Afghan border apparently carried out by U.S. and allied forces.

The U.S. envoys also met with Musharraf, army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower and now chief of her party. Neither Negroponte nor Boucher made public comments on the meetings.

Zaffar Abbas, an editor with Dawn newspaper, said the visit of such a high-profile U.S. delegation was badly timed, coinciding as it did with the inauguration of Gilani as Pakistan's 22nd prime minister.

That would signal to both Islamic extremists and moderates that "here are the Americans, right here in Islamabad, meeting with senior politicians in the new government, trying to dictate terms," Abbas said.

"The problem with the Americans is they don't understand the domestic pressure on the new government," he said. "People are expecting this government to explore other possibilities for a solution to what's happening in the tribal areas."

The U.S. Embassy said the visit was part of a regular dialogue and had been planned for some time. But an official at Pakistan's Foreign Office said the trip was arranged suddenly. The official requested anonymity because of diplomatic protocol.

The visit could add to growing mistrust of Washington here, even among liberals and the Western-educated elite.

The News, the English-language daily of Pakistan's biggest media conglomerate, published a scathing editorial Tuesday, headlined: "Hands off please, Uncle Sam."

"For most citizens, indications that Washington is eager to enforce its own writ in parts of the country or dictate policy decisions are highly distressing," the newspaper said.

"U.S.-led policies in the Middle East have contributed to the growth of hatred for the country and those it supports. Inside Pakistan, that includes President Pervez Musharraf."

The Bush administration has been a staunch supporter of Musharraf, who has deployed about 100,000 troops along the Afghan border and helped kill or capture a string of al-Qaida leaders.

But in recent weeks Washington has started to put some discreet distance between itself and a once "indispensable" ally in the war on terror as his star has fallen in Pakistan and democracy has taken hold.

Parliament selected Gilani as premier on Monday, five weeks after Bhutto's party triumphed in the elections. Sharif's party placed second and agreed to join the government.

Gilani immediately ordered the release of senior judges ousted and put under house arrest when Musharraf imposed emergency rule last year. The government is promising to restore the sacked judges within 30 days - a move that could make it difficult for Musharraf to continue in office.

On Monday, deposed Chief Justice Ifthikar Mohammed Chaudhry was freed from nearly five months of house arrest, amid jubilation by lawyers and opposition activists at the forefront of a yearlong campaign against military rule.

A stream of well-wishers, many carrying bouquets of flowers, came to pay respects at Chaudhry's Islamabad residence on Tuesday.

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Associated Press writers Lauren Frayer and Munir Ahmad contributed to this report.

Written By MATTHEW PENNINGTON

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