The main opposition parties denounced the government’s decision on Wednesday to postpone parliamentary elections for six weeks after the assassination of the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, but they said they would abide by the ruling.Inside a Karachi television shop, one set on Wednesday carried President Pervez Musharraf’s statement about the elections. More PhotosThe Election Commission set Feb. 18 as the date for the elections, citing the time needed to recover from the violence that followed Ms. Bhutto’s death last week. Nearly 60 people were killed, election offices were damaged and parts of Ms. Bhutto’s home province, Sindh, were paralyzed.“It is risky,” said one Western diplomat, who would speak only anonymously, following diplomatic protocols. “Anything could happen, because any straw or incident could ignite more violence or reaction against the government.”Condemning the violence and expressing his sorrow at the death of Ms. Bhutto, President Pervez Musharraf went on national television to explain the elections’ delay and to dampen public anger. He acknowledged that the government’s conflicting reports had created confusion over how she had been killed, and he said he had requested the assistance of a team from London’s Metropolitan Police Service, Scotland Yard, to help with the investigation.“I myself want to go into its depths and want to tell the nation,” Mr. Musharraf said. “It is extremely important to bring the nation out of confusion.”“I am sure this investigation with the help of Scotland Yard will remove all doubts and suspicions,” he added.

The postponement was the right decision, the president said, and he promised free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections, emphasizing the word peaceful.The Bush administration praised Pakistan’s decision on Monday to ask Scotland Yard to help investigate the assassination of Ms. Bhutto. “It’s very important that a transparent and comprehensive investigation move ahead quickly, and we certainly welcome Pakistan’s decision to consult U.K. expertise,” said the White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino.The decision to delay the elections was criticized by Ms. Bhutto’s husband, Asif Ali Zardari, now co-chairman of her Pakistan Peoples Party, who had demanded that they go ahead on time, partly to capitalize on the expected sympathy vote. The other main opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, called again for President Musharraf to resign and for the appointment of a neutral interim government.An alliance of smaller opposition parties, which is already boycotting the elections, said it would start planning countrywide protests. They suspect that Mr. Musharraf will keep postponing the voting indefinitely.Mr. Zardari, speaking to journalists after a party meeting at Ms. Bhutto’s country estate in Naudero, said his party, while condemning the delay, would take part in the elections and would not seek confrontation. “Elections will take place, and the masses will rule,” he said.But he warned the government not to test the people too hard by trying to rig the elections. “Fear the day when our hearts are torn apart and I won’t be able to control the party workers,” he said.

That sentiment was echoed by the other main opposition party. “The country can’t stand another controversial election,” said Ahsan Iqbal, spokesman for the party backing Mr. Sharif. “Our fear is, after Benazir Bhutto’s death a controversial election will be a recipe for disaster.”The State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said the United States supported Pakistan’s decision to set a specific date for the parliamentary elections. But he took the unusual step of urging the government, a crucial ally in the campaign against terrorism, to assure freedom of the press and the full and unfettered participation of all parties in free and fair elections.“You need to allow those candidates and those who are legitimate participants in the political process to access that free media and to make sure that you have the most free, fair and transparent electoral process in the run-up to the election, on election day, as well as after election day, as votes are being counted,” Mr. McCormack said.Foreign diplomats said they worried that the delay could be destabilizing for the country, particularly since support for Mr. Musharraf and his government has slumped to a record low. Many people here hold the establishment responsible, whether directly or indirectly, for Ms. Bhutto’s death, and view the government’s clumsy attempt to deny that she died from a bullet wound as confirmation of their beliefs.The chief election commissioner, Qazi Mohammad Farooq, announced the elections’ postponement in the capital and said the commission had made the decision after consulting political parties and the chief secretaries of Pakistan’s four provinces.He said that 11 election commission offices had been burned and that ballot papers, voting lists and election screens had been destroyed. These could not all be replaced before Jan. 8, the date originally scheduled for the elections, Mr. Farooq said.