Benazir Bhutto is born in Karachi to a well-known political family.

The Pakistan People's Party is established under the leadership of Benazir's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, to oppose the military dictatorship of Gen. Ayub Khan.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir's father, becomes president.

President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Indian Prime Minister Indira Ghandi sign the Simila Pact to formally end the war over Bangladesh.

Bhutto earns a degree in political science from Harvard University's Radcliffe College. Her father becomes Pakistan's prime minister.

Bhutto earns a second degree at Oxford University, then returns to Pakistan. Riots erupt over allegations of vote-rigging by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party. Gen. Zia ul-Haq stages a military coup and becomes president. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is imprisoned on murder charges. Benazir Bhutto and her mother, Nusrat, are also later detained.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is executed for authorizing the murder of a political opponent, but the execution is seen by many within Pakistan as a political assassination of the former prime minister.

Bhutto leaves Pakistan for England after being in and out of prison for five years.

Bhutto returns to Pakistan from exile and leads the Pakistan People's Party in a movement for new elections aimed at ousting Gen. Zia ul-Haq from power.

Following the death of Gen. Zia ul-Haq in a plane crash, the Pakistan People's Party wins the general election, and at 35, Benazir Bhutto becomes the youngest and first female leader of a Muslim nation.

After two years in office, Bhutto is dismissed as prime minister by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan on charges of incompetence and corruption. Nawaz Sharif takes over as prime minister.

Pakistani President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resign under pressure from the military. General elections bring Bhutto back into the prime minister role.

A general strike organized by Nawaz Sharif paralyzes the country and puts renewed pressure on Bhutto's government.

Bhutto's younger brother, Mir Murtaza Bhutto, is shot dead by police in a confrontation outside his family's home in Karachi.

Bhutto is dismissed for alleged corruption by President Farooq Leghari. Her government is also accused of undermining the justice system, which Bhutto denies.

Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari are convicted of corruption and given jail sentences. Bhutto denies the corruption charges and remains free, but exiled outside of Pakistan. Her husband is imprisoned. Nawaz Sharif regains power in her absence.

Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the head of the armed forces, seizes power from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup.

Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif are banned from politics by a new law.

Pakistani court rules that Bhutto is not allowed to run in parliamentary elections that year due to a new law decreed by President Musharraf. Under the law, Bhutto was disqualified because of her two terms as prime minister and for failing to appear in court to face corruption charges.

Bhutto and her husband are convicted in Swiss court of money laundering and are given jail time and a fine. A higher court overturns the sentences in November of that year.

Benazir's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, is released from jail. He joins Bhutto and their children in Dubai.

Longtime political rivals Sharif and Bhutto meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss forming a new political coalition with the aim of achieving democracy in Pakistan.

President Musharraf, under new political pressure due to Pakistani street protests and Western calls for civilian rule, meets with Bhutto in Abu Dhabi to discuss a possible power-sharing deal.

Musharraf drops corruption charges against Bhutto, but not against Nawaz Sharif. The move clears the way toward a potential power-sharing deal between Musharraf and Bhutto. On Oct. 18, 2007, Bhutto returns from exile. A suicide bomber targeting her convoy kills 140 people, though she escapes unharmed.

Authorities put Bhutto under house arrest for a week and prevent her from speaking at opposition rallies.

Bhutto continues with her political campaign, pushing resistance against Islamic militants.

Gunmen kill three people at Pakistan People's Party offices.

Bhutto accuses Musharraf of failing to stop Islamic militants.

Bhutto is killed in a gun and bomb attack after addressing a crowd of supporters in Rawalpindi.