Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed today in a suicide attack at a campaign rally, the interior ministry toldAFP. Here is a chronology of key events in Bhutto's life in the run-up to the assassination:
March 26: First joint protests organised by the parties of exiled former prime ministers Bhutto and NawazSharif.
July 3-10: Pakistani troops besiege the pro-Taliban Red Mosque in Islamabad, then storm the building a week later. More than 100 people die during the course of the crisis.
July 20: Bhutto and Musharraf hold secret meeting in Abu Dhabi on a possible power-sharing deal to sidelineSharif.
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Oct 18: Bhutto returns to Karachi from Dubai after eight years in self-exile. Two suicide bombers attack her homecoming parade hours later, killing 139people.
Oct 31: Bhutto says she has heard rumours Musharraf will impose a state of emergency and postpones planned trip to Dubai. She flies to Dubai the following day.
Nov 3: Musharraf imposes state of emergency, suspends the constitution and arrests key opposition figures, citing Islamic extremism and judicial interference.
Nov 4: Police crack down on the opposition. The United States, a key Musharraf ally, voices concern.
Nov 7: Bhutto announces plans for mass protests.
Nov 9: Hours before a planned rally in the city of Rawalpindi police Bhutto under house arrest at her Islamabad home. The order is late lifted.
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Nov 11: Musharraf say parliament will be dissolved on November 15 and elections should be held by early January.
Nov 12: Bhutto rules out further power-sharing talks with Musharraf. She is placed under house arrest again to prevent her leading a massprocession.
Nov 13: Bhutto for the first time urges Musharraf to resign and says she will never serve under him as prime minister.
Nov 16: Musharraf swears in the interim government. Bhutto is freed from house arrest. US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte arrives in Islamabad and speaks to Bhutto by telephone.
Nov 26: Bhutto and Sharif file their nomination papers for the election. Musharraf's office announces he will resign from the army on November 28 and take a new oath as a civilian leader.
Dec 27: Bhutto is killed in a suicide attack at a campaign rally inRawalpindi.
