[Facts] Bhutto's assassination Bhutto Profile Family history Killing Controversy Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by a suicide bomber on Dec. 27, 2007, plunging the nuclear-armed country into one of the worst crises in its 60-year history. Bhutto Profile * Benazir Bhutto was born on June 21, 1953, into a wealthy landowning family. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founded the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and was president and later prime minister of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977. * After gaining degrees in politics at Harvard and Oxford universities, she returned to Pakistan in 1977, just before the military seized power from her father. She inherited the leadership of the PPP after her father's execution in 1979 under military ruler General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq. * First voted in as prime minister in 1988, Bhutto was sacked by the president on corruption charges in 1990. She took power again in 1993 after her successor, Nawaz Sharif, was forced to resign after a row with the president. Bhutto was no more successful in her second spell as prime minister, and Sharif was back in power by 1996. * In 1999, both Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, were sentenced to five years in jail and fined $8.6 million on charges of taking kickbacks from a Swiss company hired to fight customs fraud. A higher court later overturned the conviction as biased. Bhutto, who had made her husband investment minister during her period in office from 1993 to 1996, was abroad at the time of her conviction and chose not to return to Pakistan. -- Geneva lawyers for Bhutto said last month they had lodged an appeal in a Swiss inquiry into alleged money laundering by Bhutto and her husband. The motion filed with Geneva's criminal appeals court could lead to hearings in the long- running case. * In 2006 she joined an Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy with her arch-rival Sharif, but the two disagreed over strategy for dealing with military President Pervez Musharraf. Bhutto decided it was better to negotiate with Musharraf, while Sharif refused to have any dealings with the general. * Bhutto returned home in October 2007 after Musharraf, with whom she had been negotiating over a transition to civilian-led democracy, granted her protection from prosecution in old corruption cases. * On her return, as she was driving through Karachi, a suicide bomber struck, killing 139 supporters and members of her security team. * On Dec. 26, Bhutto vowed to fight for workers' rights as she took her campaign for January general elections to an industrial belt near the capital. * On Dec. 28, Bhutto was buried in the family mausoleum at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, a village in the southern province of Sindh. Family history * Bhutto came from a powerful political dynasty and said after she returned home from exile in October she might be assassinated. * Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, became the country's first popularly elected prime minister but was toppled by the military in 1977 and later hanged for the murder of a political opponent. His supporters said the charge was trumped up by a military dictator. * Both of his sons died in unexplained circumstances. Shahnawaz Bhutto, the younger son, was found dead in his flat on the French Riviera in 1985. Benazir said her brother was poisoned. The older son, Murtaza, was killed along with six supporters after a confrontation with police in Karachi in 1996. His family says it was a targeted killing. * Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's bed-ridden wife, Nusrat, and an apolitical daughter, Sanam, are the only survivors of the family. * Benazir Bhutto was lucky to survive when a suicide bomber killed nearly 150 people in an attack on her motorcade as she returned to the country in October after eight years in exile. * Later that month, she paid an emotional return to her father's grave in their ancestral village in southern Pakistan. "There is still danger of attack, but Allah can protect everyone and I am not scared," she said. * In a family interview with India's Outlook magazine in Dubai last year, Benazir said she hoped her three children would choose a different career. "My children have told me they are very worried about my safety. I understand those fears. But they are Bhuttos and we have to face the future with courage, whatever it brings." Killing Controversy Two Pakistani inquiries are investigating the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Following are the main points of controversy in her death: Who ordered the attack? * The government says Baitullah Mehsud, a Pakistani militant linked to al Qaeda, ordered the assassination. A spokesman for Mehsud, who is based on the Afghan border, denied involvement. * Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party rejects the government's version. It says the authorities are trying to cover up their failure to provide security, and suggests that she was killed by other, unidentified enemies. Who carried out the attack? * Investigators have reconstructed a mangled head, apparently that of the bomber, found at the scene of the attack along with severed fingers. DNA tests are being done to see if they belong to the same person. * Pakistan's Dawn News Television has broadcast grainy still pictures of what it said appeared to be two attackers. One is a clean-cut young man wearing sunglasses, white shirt and dark waistcoat. Behind him stands a man with a white shawl over his head, who Dawn said was believed to be the bomber. Two photographs show the clean-cut man pointing a pistol at Bhutto. Officials have declined to say how many attackers they think were involved. How did Bhutto die? * The government says three shots were fired at Bhutto as she left an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi. But, citing a medical report, it says she was killed when a blast set off moments later by a suicide bomber smashed her head into a lever on the sunroof of her bullet-proof vehicle as she ducked down. * The PPP says this is "ludicrous", and that she was killed by a bullet to the head. Who is investigating? * The government has ordered two separate investigations -- one by police and security services, and one by the judiciary. * Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who was appointed co-chairman of her party on Sunday, said the party wanted the United Nations to investigate. Nasrallah in public for first time since Israel war Yemen tracks killers of Belgian tourists Israel continues Gaza blitz despite UN concern Dutch govt ready for anger over anti-Islam film UN names George Clooney "messenger of peace" Comments 1 - the asasination sexymama [ Friday, January 11, 2008 ] I would have to agree with the medical people that she hit her haed in the lever in the bullet proof car. if there was a bullet that went through her hed then i could see that she was shot. But if there was no bullet than it is possible that she could have hit her head. if there was a bullet whole in the back of the head than yes i could see that but the real quiestion i have is was she facing forward when they found her or facing the other way. But ultimatly i believe that she died hitting the lever on the car. Leave a Comment No, Pakistan is Not Falling Apart Amir Taheri The death of Benazir Bhutto in a suicide-terror operation last week has pushed Pakistan, often regarded as a backwater in South Asia, into headlines as never before. Some American pundits even claim that the murder would affect the US presidential campaign and help candidates who preach a more muscular foreign policy. There is no doubt that Pakistan deserves attention, provided this is not for the wrong reasons. Although Pakistan has been a key battleground in the global war on terror since 2001, it is little understood, not to say much misunderstood, in the West. One American pundit asserts that Bhutto’s death represents “Washington’s policy failure in Pakistan.” The claim is based on the belief that Bhutto was nothing but an instrument of American policy. Benazir enlisted the support of Washington in opening a dialogue with Musharraf. The Americans helped the dialogue but knew they could not better than treat Musharraf or Benazir as pawns. Benazir and Musharraf never did anything they didn’t want to do simply because the Americans, or anybody else, asked for it. Another myth since Benazir’s death is that she was a victim of Pakistani security services. The accusation is so childish that it would not have merited attention had it not received global currency by conspiracy theorists. Secret services may have hitmen and hired assassins but do not have suicide-killers. That is a speciality of Islamist terror groups. Had the Pakistani secret services wished to kill Benazir they would have organised a massive explosion, like the one that the Syrian secret service used to kill former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri in 2005. Conspiracy theorists also refer to the fact that Benazir was murdered in Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s biggest garrison town. “How could terrorists operate in such a place?” wonders one American conspiracy theorist. He forgets that in the same Rawalpindi Musharraf himself escaped two assassination attempts last year. During Algeria’s war against Islamist terror in the 1990s, the garrison town of Blida, near the capital Algiers, was the most active focus of terrorist operations. It is no surprise that the terrorists have joined the chorus that blames the authorities for the murder. What better than killing one enemy and blaming another for the crime? The Algerian terrorists did that all the time. They cut the throats of peasants at night and in the morning blamed the army. In 1978, Khomeini’s agents set fire to the Rex Cinema in Abadan, burning more than 400 people alive, then blamed it on the government. What is certain is that Benazir was braver than the leaders of Al Qaeda who take good care of their own lives by hiding in caves while despatching brainwashed youths on suicide operations. Another myth is that Islamists are about to sweep next week’s general election and seize power. However, today Pakistani Islamists are at their weakest in terms of popular support. Their coalition, known as the United Action Assembly (MMA), has fragmented, its components spending more time fighting each other than their secular enemies. In the last election, the Islamists collected some 11 per cent of the votes. They would be lucky to do as well next week. Their best-known figure, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, may lose his own seat. The Islamists have been in power in the Northwest Frontier Province, one of the four that constitute Pakistan, for four years and have a record of failures. They have proved the bankruptcy of their sick ideology in action. I doubt they would fool many Pakistanis much longer, especially now that all main parties have decided to take part in the election. Although some 98 per cent of Pakistanis are Muslims, few wish to live under anything resembling the regime in Iran. Despite decades of misery under military rule, most Pakistanis cherish pluralism and change of government through elections. One British magazine has come out with a cover story that Pakistan is about to fall to the Taliban. This turns out to be based on a claim that “Taliban-like” groups are assuming power in parts of a mountainous enclave known as South Waziristan. The readers might not know that the enclave covers half of one per cent of Pakistan’s territory of 803,000 square kilometres. South Waziristan’s population is less than half a million, compared to the total Pakistani population of 169 million. Even then, there is no evidence that the enclave is being taken over by Taliban-style groups or “Arab Afghans” as foreign terrorists are called. What is happening is the emergence of new groups of young armed men, often wearing long hair and beards, looking for fame and fortune. In the 1960s similar groups described themselves as “socialist”. Today, they prefer the label Islamist. Basically, they are bandits, continuing a tradition begun more than 2000 years ago. Alexander the Great tried to crush their ancestors by force but failed. He then decided to use gold where steel had failed, and succeeded. In the 19th century, the British had a similar experience. After decades of military effort to tame the region, they loosened the purse strings and got quick results. Today, too, the best policy would be buying the armed groups rather than “dishonouring” them in the battlefield, something no tribal warrior worth his salt would tolerate. (This is, perhaps, why the US Congress has just approved a package of $800 million for Waziristan.) Musharraf is castigated for supposedly refusing to prevent the Taliban from infiltrating Afghanistan and/or returning to Pakistan to dodge NATO forces. Musharraf’s critics forget that the mostly mountainous Pakistan-Afghanistan border is almost 2500 kilometres long. If the US is unable to control infiltration through its equally long border with Mexico, how could Pakistan, a much less developed nation, be expected to do better on its frontier with Afghanistan? Finally, we are invited to worry because Pakistan’s nuclear weapons may fall into the hands of the Taliban and/or Al Qaeda. There is, however, no evidence that the Pakistani army is about to fall apart or that the nuclear arsenal, put under Musharraf’s direct control after he stepped down as army chief, is in any danger. The US has spent $100 improving the security of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal in the past two years. Although American officials would not admit it, one may assume that the US has contingency plans to secure the nuclear silos that are, mercifully, located in a remote desert that could be quickly isolated and sealed off. No, Pakistan is not falling apart. No, Islamists are not about to seize power. There is no needed to declare martial law, as some commentators suggest. There is no reason to or postpone the elections. Pakistan needs more, not less, democracy. The faster Pakistan returns to full civilian rule, the safer it will be -- and with it the rest of us also. *Published in the London-based ASHARQ ALAWSAT on January 4, 2008. Amir Taheri is an Iranian author based in Europe Where is the train of Pakistan heading? Dr. Salim Nazzal It has been said that novels can sometimes express the deep water of the social and political change more than political writings do. Train to Pakistan, a novel written by Kushwant Singh, explores the horror which took place under the partition of India in 1947. Sigh clearly has a moral message to tell; when the voice of reason disappears violence emerges. This is obvious in his way of presenting the views of individuals of various ethnic and ideological backgrounds in one of the most critical times in the history of the subcontinent India. Yet despite the dark picture Singh was able to convey how love can defy the evils of war and hatred. It is a heartfelt story exposing the horrors endured by Muslim girl and a noble and courageous Sikh boy who made the ultimate sacrifice so that his lover could make a safe journey to Pakistan. Pakistan which evolved from the partitioning of India, was the second country founded on religious lines. The first was the Vatican, which represents the spiritual capital of the Roman Catholic Church. The third was the state of Israel, which is the last surviving settlement state in third world which was created against the will of its natives. Other similar settlements such as Rhodesia and South Africa proved unworkable and have subsequently been dissolved. States born out of messianic ideas are usually expressing certain ideals and certain utopian dreams. In real life states are run by politics and political calculations. History does not merely lie in museums, or gathering dust between the pages of yellowing books, as some may assume. Even if history is not felt on the daily level it influences and colors much of people's lives, especially the times of crisis. Therefore it is perhaps difficult to predict what the spiritual founding fathers of Pakistan, such as Muhammad Iqbal and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, would have to say about the current conflict. It was their dream to construct a state for Muslims, where it was hoped that they would live in complete harmony in parts of India and linked with the idea of salvation from the dominance of the Hindu majority. It is difficult in light of this development to avoid questioning the validity of religion in nation building. In the Indo-Pakistani experience there is clear evidence which cast serious doubts about the capacity of religion to form a national state. Two examples from that region would consolidate this view: The first is the division of Pakistan in 1971 and the split of western Pakistan consists of Beghngali majority which "felt that it was occupied or dominated by eastern Pakistan" according to the justification given by Mujeeb Al Rahman the Awame party leader who led the split from the mother Pakistan. This question must be an actual question in the Arab world because many Arab Islamists are still attracted to the theory of religious state . The second example is the existence of more than 150 million Indian Muslims who evidence shows they are not less happy in the secular "Hindu" India than their brothers in the Muslim Pakistan. More over despite that both countries India and Pakistan adopted the British style of democracy of having a symbolic head of state and operative government based on the parliamentary majority. Past experience has shown that the experience was successful in India while Pakistan military powers have blocked the democratic system several times, the most recent being the military coup d'état of Muhammad Barwiz Musharaf. Today's Pakistan is safe compared with that period. However developments which culminated in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto demonstrate that Pakistan is not immune from new danger and new conflict. Some observers predict that the unrest might reach a level threatening the very integrity of the country. This fear has apparently been mostly reflected in western circles that are concerned about the destiny of the Pakistani nuclear power in the worst case scenario. As it stands there is no indication that this concern is warranted, because the Military appears to be powerful enough to hold power. However, it would be naïve to ignore the question about how long the military can keep things under control in the absence of agreed upon political solutions. History and experiences in other parts of the world clearly demonstrate that security is a political issue per excellence. Even if the current conflict is compared with the mother conflict of 1947, earlier conflict seems somehow easier because it was a clear cut conflict between two major communities, while the current situation is many sided. On the domestic front there is Musharaf and his adversaries, and the conflict between Musharaf and the strict Islamists, also the differences between the moderate Isalmists and the strict Isalmists. Then there conflicts between secular parties and the strict Islamists. In addition to which there are other tribal and inter faith, ethnic, and regional conflicts between Pakistan and India over the question of Kashmir, which caused three wars and was at the core of much tension in the past 60 years. Finally there is the international in the question of Afghanistan and the position designed to Pakistan in the so called war against terror. There is no doubt that United States has played a major role in inflaming the situation in the region with a position that has continued to vacillate. Firstly they supported the Mujahedeen against the soviet. After the freeing of Afghanistan the USA did nothing to assist in the reconstruction of Afghanistan which has prepared the social ground for a stricter form of Islamic movement to emerge with the support of the Pakistani government and the blessing of the USA. It is however an oversimplification to assume that Taliban is only a product of the Pakistani intelligence service. The social and political phenomenon is much more complicated and cannot be studied in this way. The Taliban is in the final analysis a product of a number of political, economical conditions of the pre modern Afghanistan. After 9/11 the USA pressurized the Pakistani government to play an active role in the so called "war on terror" which has paradoxically resulted in the Taliban expansion to Pakistan, especially on the border areas where the tribes are mixed. Which in fact is more or less is the same experience in Iraq where the extreme Islamic forces were born after the American invasion. The Bush discourse to Pakistan and the world was Ben Ladinist language par excellence: either you are with the USA or against them, which means that the USA will support India against Pakistan if Pakistan was to show any hesitation to join the USA war. Most importantly the moral weakness of the USA position has resulted in a weakening of the influence of the USA to a level which may be unprecedented in our history. While the USA aims to confront the strict Islamic movements, strict forms of pro Zionism and evangelical Christianity has taken hold USA with a grip on power more influential than has existed at any other time since its foundation. This position is fundamental in portraying the conflict with the USA into forms of cultural groupings, a position which is not incompatible with the belief of the strict Islamic movements that the USA is the neo- crusader state. The outcome of the US foreign policy is that it has led to the weakening of the liberal and democratic influence in the Islamic world and further consolidated fundamentalist Islamic trends . In the present time the Pakistan train does not seem to be heading towards a safe destination. There can be little doubt that Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan with a liberal agenda was done at great risk and did cost her life, as it did with her father Ali Bhutto in 1979 who was executed by the Zia al haq military regime. Who is to be held accountable for this cowardly act? So far many theories have already been published and whether or not it was the current regime that was behind Mrs. Bhutto's assassination, or the strict Isalmists who viewed her as their enemy, or who had contributed directly or indirectly in the creation of the religious strict culture which led to her murder, or some other entity who may have benefited from eliminating her from the political scene in Pakistan, the question "where the train of Pakistan is heading?" has for now remained unanswered. It is difficult question and cannot be answered simply to everyone's satisfaction because of the weight of complexity that exists. However, it is almost certain that Pakistan may need a new social contract, which would lead the state towards new hope for peace and stability. * Dr. Salim Nazzal is a Palestinian-Norwegian historian in the Middle East, who has written extensively on social and political issues in the region. He can be contacted at snazzal5@gmail.com. [Facts] Possible Scenarios after Bhutto's Killing Scenarios Upcoming Election How Elections Work The assassination of Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Dec. 27 has sparked turmoil in the nuclear-armed country and prompted the postponement of a general election for six weeks until Feb. 18. Here is an explanation of how elections work in Pakistan and some scenarios for the outcome of the vote. Scenarios * For Musharraf: Bhutto's death, while removing an old rival, is likely to lead to even greater pressure on Musharraf who has seen his popularity slide this year. Musharraf was pinning his hopes on a smooth, broadly accepted election with the party that backs him winning enough seats to form a coalition. Many Pakistanis, who relish conspiracy theories, are likely to suspect government involvement, or blame it for failing to provide sufficient security, even if the evidence eventually points to the hand of Islamist militants, who have at least twice tried to kill the president in bomb attacks. * For Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party: Bhutto's party, founded by her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, has been widely seen as a one-person party. In the absence of a strong political figure in Bhutto's family, or in the party, her Pakistan People's Party could split into factions. * For the U.S.-led war on terrorism: Bhutto was a staunch ally of the United States and had spoken out strongly of the need to fight militancy in her election campaign speeches. The United States had hoped the liberal-minded Musharraf and Bhutto might have shared power and formed a solid bulwark against militancy. Al Qaeda and allied militants are likely to take welcome her death. Upcoming Election Few Pakistanis expect the parliamentary election to be fair, but Musharraf needs a vote with enough credibility to reduce criticism of his use of emergency powers to secure a second five-year term. Musharraf, who came to power in a military coup in 1999, imposed emergency rule on Nov. 3 to rid the Supreme Court of judges who might have annuled his re-election. He was re-elected by the outgoing parliament and provincial assemblies in October, a month before they were dissolved, and stepped down as army chief on Nov. 28 to be sworn in as a civilian leader. Musharraf lifted the state of emergency and restored the constitution on Dec. 15. After the assassination of Bhutto, elections that had been scheduled for Jan. 8 were delayed to Feb. 18. The election is the third and final phase of a transition to civilian-led democracy for a nuclear- armed country threatened with instability by growing Islamist militancy. How Elections Work -- There are about 160 million people in Pakistan, about half are eligible to vote. But at the last election in 2002, the turnout was reckoned to be less than 30 million. -- Pakistan's first election in 1970, was regarded as the most free. The result accelerated the break up of Pakistan, a country formed in 1947 from the partition on India. East Pakistan became Bangladesh, after Indian military intervention and the defeat of the Pakistan army in 1971. -- Intelligence agencies subsequently became adept at manipulating the vote and the politicians, feudal lords and tribal maliks, or chieftains, wielding influence. -- The military and Punjabi establishment favors a strong centralized state in a country riven by regional and ethnic divisions. Outside Punjab, the richest and most populous of Pakistan's four provinces, regional parties have been squeezed. Islamist parties have been allowed to occupy their space, particularly in North West Frontier Province and Baluchistan. -- The Islamist parties never got more than 10 percent of the vote until 2002, when, with the leaders of the mainstream opposition hounded out the country, they garnered 11 percent giving them 17 percent of the seats in the National Assembly. -- Opinion polls, though unreliable, show the popularity of Musharraf and his Pakistan Muslim League alllies has plummeted. Nasrallah in public for first time since Israel war Yemen tracks killers of Belgian tourists Israel continues Gaza blitz despite UN concern Dutch govt ready for anger over anti-Islam film UN names George Clooney "messenger of peace" Comments 1 - What? Ben Adam [ Friday, December 28, 2007 ] Who wrote this article. Its written poorly and makes a joke out of Bhutto's death in the line: "[this scenario has been] killed after her assassination". I think for Pakistan's future (and that of others) to be more prosperous, the West will need to stop interfering because, in many ways, they are responsible for all the corruption and troubles rampant in countries like that. It will eventually come back to bite them just like 9/11 and 7/7 and, as usual, it will be us- the ordinary civilians- who will be caught up in the backlash. 2 - businessman Moussa Traore [ Sunday, January 06, 2008 ] i'm Moussa in china i'm very happy for the english journal from alarabiya.net [Facts] Musharraf's Career Up to the emergency After the emergency Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule on Nov. 3 in a bid to reassert his flagging authority against challenges from Islamist militants, a hostile judiciary and political rivals. He swore a new oath of office Nov. 29, 2007 as a civilian president, a day after bowing to intense international pressure by stepping down as head of the powerful army. Here are some main events in his political career. Up to the emergency - Oct. 7, 1998: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appoints General Musharraf army chief but their relationship breaks down over the Kargil border conflict with India the next year. - Oct. 13, 1999: Musharraf takes power following a bloodless coup after Sharif sacked Musharraf a day earlier while the general was on his way back from Sri Lanka. The country was virtually bankrupt and the coup was relatively popular. Sharif is sent into exile a year later. - June 20, 2001: Musharraf is sworn in as president but retains his army chief post. - Sept. 12, 2001: A day after al Qaeda attacked the United States, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell tells Musharraf: "You are either with us or against us". A week later, Musharraf announces Pakistan has joined the U.S.-led war on terrorism. - April 30, 2002: Musharraf wins a controversial referendum on extending his rule for five more years. - July 6, 2002: Musharraf imposes laws effectively barring former prime ministers Sharif and now assassinated Benazir Bhutto from power. - Dec. 14 and 25, 2003: Musharraf survives two al- Qaeda inspired assassination attempts in Rawalpindi. Low-ranking army and air force personnel are implicated in the first attack. - Dec. 24, 2003: Musharraf announces he will step down as army chief by the end of 2004, but announces he is going back on his pledge on Dec. 30, 2004. - January 2004: Musharraf and India's then prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, agree to a peace dialogue less than two years after the nuclear- armed nations went to the brink of war. The neighbors have fought three wars since 1947. - October 2005: Musharraf rallies the country and the army emerges with credit for leading relief efforts after an earthquake kills 73,000 people. - September 2006: Musharraf launches his autobiography "In the Line of Fire" in New York. - March 9, 2007: Musharraf suspends Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on allegations of misconduct. Lawyers rally to the top judge and Musharraf's popularity plummets as their pro- democracy campaign draws support. - July 6: Assassins try to kill Musharraf, but his plane had taken off and was far away before they opened fire from a rooftop close to the military airfield in Rawalpindi. - July 10: After a week-long siege, Musharraf orders troops to storm the Red Mosque in Islamabad to crush a Taliban-style movement. At least 105 people are killed. - July 20: Supreme Court reinstates Chief Justice Chaudhry, dealing a blow to Musharraf's authority. - Sept. 10: Sharif tries to return from exile but is arrested at Islamabad airport and deported to Saudi Arabia, despite having clearance from the Supreme Court to return. - Sept. 18: Musharraf's lawyers tell the Supreme Court he will quit as army chief if re-elected president. - Oct. 2: Musharraf designates the former head of the main intelligence agency, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, as his successor as army chief. The government announces it is ready to drop corruption charges against Bhutto. - Oct. 6: Musharraf wins most votes in a presidential election but has to wait for the Supreme Court to confirm the legality of his re- election. - Oct. 19: About 139 people were killed by an attempted suicide bomb assassination of Bhutto during a procession through Karachi on returning from eight years of self-imposed exile. - Nov. 2: Supreme Court reconvenes to hear challenges whether Musharraf was eligible to stand for re-election by parliament on Oct. 6. - Nov. 3: Musharraf imposes emergency rule. After the emergency - Nov. 3: Citing a growing Islamic militancy and a meddling judiciary, Musharraf suspends the constitution and imposes emergency rule. Top judges are sacked. - Nov. 4: Police crack down on the opposition. Cricket hero Imran Khan is placed under house arrest. The United States, a key Musharraf ally, voices concern. - Nov. 5: Police use tear gas and batons against protesters, mostly lawyers, in several cities. The White House says it is deeply disturbed. - Nov. 6: Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the sacked chief justice, urges people to rise up but is soon silenced. - Nov. 7: Main opposition leader Benazir Bhutto announces plans for mass protests. US President George W. Bush issues a "very frank" call to Musharraf to hold fair elections and step down as head of the army. - Nov. 9: Hours before a planned rally in the city of Rawalpindi, police put Bhutto under house arrest at her Islamabad home. The order is later lifted. - Nov. 11: Musharraf says parliament will be dissolved on November 15 and elections should be held by January 9, but indicates emergency rule will stay in place. - Nov. 12: Bhutto rules out further power-sharing talks with Musharraf. She is placed under house arrest again to prevent her leading a mass procession. - Nov. 13: Bhutto for the first time urges Musharraf to resign and says she will never serve under him as prime minister. - Nov. 14: Imran Khan is arrested and charged under anti-terror legislation after emerging from hiding to join a protest. - Nov. 15: A senior official says Musharraf will leave the army by December 1. The president names Senate chairman Mohammedmian Soomro to head a caretaker government. - 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. 17: Negroponte spends a day talking to Musharraf and other senior political and military officials. - Nov. 18: Negroponte leaves, demanding a swift end to emergency rule, which he says "is not compatible" with free elections. - Nov. 19: The Supreme Court, now packed with compliant judges, swats away five of six challenges against Musharraf's re-election as president. - Nov. 20: Authorities announce January 8 as the date for general elections and begin freeing more than 5,500 political prisoners. Musharraf visits Saudi Arabia but officials deny reports that he has met Sharif there. - Nov. 22: The Supreme Court dismisses the final challenge to Musharraf's re-election. The Commonwealth suspends Pakistan for violating the grouping's fundamental values. - Nov. 23: The Supreme Court rules that Musharraf was justified in imposing emergency rule. - Nov. 24: Twin suicide bombings in Rawalpindi kill at least 20 including security force members. Sharif's party says he will return from exile on November 25. - Nov. 25: Sharif arrives in the eastern city of Lahore where thousands of supporters are gathered to give him a rousing welcome. - Nov. 26: Bhutto and Sharif file their nomination papers for the election. Musharraf's office announces he will resign from the army on Wednesday and take a new oath as a civilian leader on Thursday. - Nov. 27: Musharraf bids farewell to his troops and senior officers in a series of ceremonies at the army, navy and air force headquarters. - Nov. 28: Musharraf hands over the baton of army command to his successor General Ashfaq Kiyani in a full military ceremony. - Nov. 29: Now in civilian clothes, Musharraf swears a new oath for a second term as president and, in a speech, brushes off pressure to end the state of emergency. Dec. 9 - Sharif says he will take part in Jan. 8 election. Dec. 15 - Musharraf lifts state of emergency and restores the constitution. Dec. 27 - Bhutto is assassinated in a gun and bomb attack after a rally in Rawalpindi. Violence flares in Pakistan as angry supporters of Bhutto take to the streets. Dec. 30 - Bhutto's 19-year-old son is appointed chairman of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) along with his father, Asif Ali Zardari, who is to be co-chairman. Jan 2 - The election commission says polling not possible on Jan. 8, and delays the election to Feb. 18. Facts] The Players Benazir Bhutto's Heirs Nawaz Sharif Others Pervez Musharraf * The second of three brothers, Musharraf was born into a middle class Muslim family in India in August 1943. His family moved to the newly created majority-Muslim state of Pakistan following India's independence and partition in 1947. He spent seven years in Turkey, during his civil servant father's posting to Ankara. In 1956 the family settled in Karachi, where Musharraf attended Roman Catholic and other Christian schools. * Entering the Pakistan Military Academy in 1961, the keen sportsman and career military man first saw action as a young officer in the 1965 war against India, which saw him decorated for gallantry. Marrying in 1968, he endured the army's humiliating defeat by India in the 1971 war and served voluntarily for seven years in Pakistan's special service commandos group. * Promoted to the rank of general and named army chief in October, 1998, Musharraf seized power from then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999 in a bloodless coup. He first led the country as chief executive and then won a five-year presidential term in a 2002 referendum critics say was rigged. * One of President George W. Bush's most important non-NATO allies in Washington's war on terrorism, supporters paint Musharraf as a strong leader who can save Pakistan's moderate Muslim majority from militant, religious extremism seeping into cities from tribal areas along the northwest frontier. However a bloody army assault on Islamabad's Red Mosque in July, during which 102 people were killed, led to a rise in attacks by Islamist militants that have killed several hundred people. * A failed attempt to sack Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry in March created a judicial and political crisis. Musharraf's popularity slumped and the Supreme Court reinstated Chaudhry. With exiled ex- leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif threatening to return, Musharraf has made some pre- election concessions -- dropping long-standing graft charges against Bhutto, and designating a successor to take over as army chief so he can finally shed his uniform and be sworn in as a civilian president. Benazir Bhutto's Heirs Benazir Bhutto's party appointed her son Bilawal and her husband Asif Ali Zardari to succeed the slain Pakistani opposition leader on Dec. 30, 2007. Here are some facts about her widower: * As Bhutto's widower and a former minister in one of her governments, Zardari has the most experience and on paper is an obvious choice as political heir. But he is a divisive figure who wrestled with allegations of corruption for a decade. * Even some Bhutto supporters regard him as a flawed character whose taste for power and the high life undermined her legacy. Zardari, who spent eight years in jail on corruption and drug- smuggling charges, denied any wrongdoing, accusing Bhutto's political opponents of concocting the allegations to ruin them. * Zardari married Bhutto in an arranged union brokered by their mothers in 1987, a year before Bhutto was elected to her first term as prime minister. The son of a politician from Bhutto's own party, Zardari had the right political pedigree, but it was an uneven match in terms of family wealth and status. * Zardari's family owned some farm land and a cinema in Karachi and indulged his passion for polo, but the Bhutto family was one of Pakistan's feudal landowners, an elite that has traditionally dominated Pakistani business and party politics. * Within months of Benazir Bhutto's first election victory in 1988, allegations of suspicious deals involving state money and Zardari started to surface in newspapers. The president dismissed her government for corruption and misrule in 1990, but it was not until the end of her second term, in 1996, that international inquiries began to rake over state deals and bank transfers. * Zardari, who became known as "Mr 10 Percent", accused Bhutto's successor as premier and her old foe, Nawaz Sharif, of trumping up allegations he had siphoned off state funds and taken multi- million-dollar kickbacks on plane and submarine deals. * For some Pakistanis, though, Zardari showed genuine strength of character during his time in jail, which took a toll on his health. Here are some facts about Bilawal Zardari, 19, a university student, Bhutto's only son and eldest child: * Bilawal is six years short of the eligible age to stand for parliament and is more familiar with the high streets of Dubai and London, his family homes during Benazir Bhutto's long years of exile, than with Pakistan's troubled electorates. * He went to a prestigious high school in Dubai and recently followed his mother's footsteps to Oxford, but his mother's constant political travails and his father's jailing for eight years on "cooked up" graft charges left a deep imprint on him. * In the violent tradition of South Asia's major political dynasties, where leadership can end in a pool of blood, Bilawal finds himself called to center stage of an epic tragedy. * Almost 30 years before his mother was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack, his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan's first popularly elected prime minister, was hanged by the military regime that had deposed him. * In his few press interviews, an adolescent Bilawal revealed a political conscience and a burning sense of injustice at the way his mother and father had been treated by Pakistan's military and by her chief political rival, Nawaz Sharif. * As a 16-year-old at high school, he told the Press Trust of India in an interview in 2004 that he felt justice and democracy held the key to resolving Pakistan's problems. * Asked if he would one day enter the whirlpool of Pakistani politics, Bilawal, a Taekwondo black- belt and horse-riding enthusiast like his father, was quoted as saying: "We will see, I don't know. I would like to help the people of Pakistan, so I will decide when I finish my studies." He added: "I can either enter politics, or I can enter another career that would benefit the people." Nawaz Sharif * Born into a Kashmiri family of industrialists in Lahore on Dec. 25, 1949, Sharif studied law at Punjab University and worked in the family business before going into politics in the Pakistan Muslim League (PML). Joining the Punjab cabinet as finance minister in 1981, he became its chief minister in 1985. * Prime minister for two terms in the 1990s, Sharif was overthrown by the army chief he appointed, General Pervez Musharraf, eight years ago. The bloodless ouster was Pakistan's fourth military coup since independence in 1947. * After the coup Sharif was convicted of graft and banned from politics, and given a life sentence for hijacking. Allowed to go into exile in Saudi Arabia in 2000, amid reports of a deal between his family and Musharraf's military government, he was given a presidential pardon the day his family left. * On Aug. 23, 2007, Pakistan's top court ruled Sharif, 57, and his brother were free to return. Sharif tries to return on Sept. 10 but is arrested at Islamabad airport and deported to Saudi Arabia, despite the Supreme Court clearance. * The first industrialist to rule Pakistan, Sharif tried to reverse socialist policies and open up the economy. In 1991, he was embroiled in controversy after trying to make Islamic sharia law the supreme law of Pakistan. In May 1998 he oversaw the country's first nuclear tests. Others IMRAN KHAN: Cricket star who led Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992 before forming his own political party, the Movement for Justice. Has only one seat in parliament, his own, but has been a vocal opponent of Musharraf. Khan was placed under house arrest last week but emerged from hiding on Wednesday to join a student rally in Lahore, where he was swiftly detained by police. QAZI HUSSAIN AHMAD, FAZLUR REHMAN: Leader and secretary general of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, a six-party Islamist alliance which came onto the scene amid anti-US feeling in Pakistan in 2001. Ahmad heads the Jamaat-e-Islami party while Rehman heads Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam, another hardline group. The MMA ruled in two provinces bordering Afghanistan until last month. Both men have had frosty relations with Bhutto. OTHER PARTIES: There are other nationalist parties that oppose Musharraf in North West Frontier Province, southern Sindh and southwestern Baluchistan provinces. Facts] Mini Martial Law Beyond State of Emergency -- Musharraf suspended the constitution on November 3, and dismissed most Supreme Court justices after they refused to take an oath to abide by a provisional constitutional order. He gave sweeping powers to police to arrest and detain people and suspended fundamental rights, such as freedom of speech and expression, and rights of assembly have been curtailed. -- Paramilitary troops and police have been deployed near parliament and the courts, reporting curbs placed on the media and hundreds of opposition supporters, lawyers, politicians and rights activists detained. Beyond State of Emergency -- Musharraf's suspension of the constitution goes beyond typical state-of-emergency provisions. He imposed the emergency rule in his capacity as army chief and not as president. He allowed the central government, provincial governments and parliament to stay. But he barred courts from issuing orders against himself, the prime minister or any authority designated by the President. -- Under the constitution, the tenure of the National Assembly could be extended up to a year but Musharraf set no timeline in his order. Officials have said elections will be held on schedule by mid January, but Musharraf has not yet given definitive word. -- Critics say Musharraf's main motivation was not to stop terrorism, but to tighten his personal grip on power by pre-empting a looming Supreme Court decision that could have ruled invalid his re-election by parliament on Oct. 6 because he contested while still army chief. -- Musharraf said on Monday he was "determined" to relinquish his military role once he had established harmony between the judiciary, executive and parliament. -- Pakistan was last under emergency rule in Oct. 1999. Then army chief, Musharraf proclaimed emergency rule when he deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, suspending the constitution, dissolving the National Assembly and bringing Pakistan under the control of the armed forces.