Disbelief and Despair Among Supporters

A sense of foreboding and anxiety hung over British mosques as members of the country's Pakistani community gathered for Friday prayers yesterday. "The future is very dark at the moment," said one worshiper as he made his way into the Makka mosque in Bolton, Greater Manchester. "No one knows what is going to happen."

His words were echoed outside the central mosque in Birmingham. "Pakistan's future position is dark now, because we have lost a leader," said Rabnawaz Chughtai. "[Benazir Bhutto] always talked about democracy and I think that is needed in the world now to make peace. We need democracy back into Pakistan.

"We have lost her, but there are more leaders who can hopefully combat that and bring the democracy back."

Almost all worshipers, whatever their political allegiances, said Pakistan desperately needed stability. "This is a terrible thing," said Talib Hussain in Bolton. "She was fighting for democracy. She was my hope for Pakistan and she would have got my vote. It seems like it's going to be civil war there now. No one is listening to anyone."

Many of the men had watched news reports on Pakistani television stations and been in contact with family members as Ms Bhutto's funeral went ahead.

"It's a sad day," said Ajmal Hussain, a Bolton solicitor. "This has put the country back many years. The important issue now is to keep the country on track for democracy. I think the elections will have to be put back for a month or so in order that her party can elect a new leader. Otherwise the elections are going to be a one-horse race."

Shafiq Fazal, vice-chairman of the Makka mosque, had heard al-Qaida's claims that it was responsible for the assassination and also accepted claims by Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf that the murder was the work of terrorists. "The whole country is shocked," he said. "We were glad when Bhutto went back to Pakistan because we wanted proper democratic elections. But now my personal view is that the elections will have to be put back."

"As with any act of terrorism, we condemn this act," said a colleague who did not wish to be named. Asked what would now happen in Pakistan, he replied: "Only God knows."

In Birmingham, the mosque's chairman, Dr Mohammed Naseem, also condemned Bhutto's assassination and urged the people of Pakistan not to let it destroy democracy. "The nation should stay calm and take time to come together and say 'We are not letting anybody disrupt our process of democracy'. Destroying property and killing people is senseless. Gun law is not the right law for any country."