during her burial at her family’s mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, near Larkana, Pakistan, yesterday

The world denounced the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on Friday with leaders and commentators paying tribute to a brave, if flawed, champion of democracy.

Opinion differed on her legacy and on whether elections aimed at restoring democracy to Pakistan could now go ahead as planned.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged President Pervez Musharraf to proceed with the Jan. 8 national elections, though Bhutto’s People’s Party has lost its charismatic leader.

The United States _ which had staked its hopes for Pakistan’s stability on a Bhutto-Musharraf reconciliation and encouraged Bhutto’s return from exile in October _ was more ambiguous. President George W. Bush called on Pakistan’s people “to honor Benazir Bhutto’s memory by continuing with the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life.”

Asked whether the United States was confident that Pakistan could stage an election in January, U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said, “Well, we’re going to see what happens.”

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he had spoken to Musharraf and urged him to “stick to the course he has outlined to build democracy and stability in Pakistan” _ though Brown did not specifically say elections should be held Jan. 8.

“This was a cowardly terrorist act designed to destabilize democratic elections,” Brown said. “The international community is united in its outrage and determination that those who stoop to such tactics shall not prevail.”

Hamid Khan, head of chancery at Pakistan’s embassy in London, suggested no decision on the vote would be made until after three days of national mourning declared by Musharraf.

“I think we really have to play it by ear and see how the situation unfolds in the next two to three days and then the government will take whatever decision is in the best interests of the people and the country,” Khan told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Pakistan’s other main opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, said his party would boycott the elections.

Even if the vote is held, said Gareth Price, an expert at think tank Chatham House, “the assassination is going to affect the legitimacy of those elections.”

World leaders appealed for calm and held their breath to see whether violence triggered by the assassination would continue or would fizzle out. Britain’s Foreign Office warned citizens against all but essential travel to the country, as angry Bhutto supporters ransacked banks, waged shootouts with police and burned train stations in several cities.

The United Nations Security Council summed up the world reaction by voting Thursday unanimously to condemn the killing and urge all nations to help bring those responsible for “this reprehensible act” to justice.

In India, which has fought three wars against Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Bhutto was irreplaceable. “In her death, the subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country,” Singh said.

Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai, who met Bhutto earlier on Thursday in Islamabad, said he was “deeply pained” by the assassination of “this brave sister of ours, a brave daughter of the Muslim world.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Musharraf saying Bhutto’s killing was “a challenge thrown down by forces of terrorism not only to Pakistan but also to the entire international community,” Russian news reports said.

South African President Thabo Mbeki was among many who expressed confidence _ or at least hope _ that Pakistani authorities “would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous act face the full might of the law.”

In Britain, home to a large Pakistani community, mosques planned to say prayers for Bhutto after regular Friday prayers.

“People are very sad,” said Salma Yaqoob, a local councilor in the central English city of Birmingham.

“She was a charismatic figure and came to Birmingham quite often where she was always well-received.”Analysts said it might never become clear who killed Bhutto _ Islamist militants, elements of the Pakistani military or security services hostile to Bhutto, or some combination of forces.

On a personal level, even Bhutto’s many critics acknowledged her courage.

“She had plenty of physical courage, and refused to be cowed by threats from local opponents,” left-wing writer Tariq Ali, who knew Bhutto for several decades and had long been critical of her, wrote in the Guardian.