Kuwait - 27.12.2007 Pakistani Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack after a rally in the city of Rawalpindi this afternoon.
Benazir Bhutto's extraordinary careerBenazir Bhutto was once feted at home and abroad as a symbol of modernity and democracy, but she has since fought a long battle against corruption allegations.
Ms Bhutto has had a volatile political career
Like the Nehru-Gandhi family in India, the Bhuttos of Pakistan are one of the world's most famous political dynasties. Benazir's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was prime minister of Pakistan in the early 1970s.
His government was one of the few in the 30 years following independence that was not run by the army.
Born in 1953 in the province of Sindh and educated at Harvard and Oxford, Ms Bhutto gained credibility from her father's high profile, even though she was initially a reluctant convert to politics.
She has twice been prime minister of Pakistan, from 1988 to 1990, and from 1993 to 1996.
StubbornnessOn both occasions she was dismissed from office by the president for alleged corruption.
The dismissals typified her volatile political career, which has been characterised by numerous peaks and troughs. At the height of her popularity - shortly after her first election - she was one of the most high-profile women leaders in the world.
Young and glamorous, she successfully portrayed herself as a refreshing contrast to the overwhelmingly male-dominated political establishment.
But after her second fall from power, her name came to be seen by some as synonymous with corruption and bad governance.
Husband Asif Zardari has faced numerous corruption charges
The determination and stubbornness for which Ms Bhutto is renowned was first seen after her father was imprisoned and charged with murder by Gen Zia ul-Haq in 1977, following a military coup. Two years later he was executed.
Ms Bhutto was imprisoned just before her father's death and spent most of her five-year jail term in solitary confinement. She described the conditions as extremely hard.
During stints out of prison for medical treatment, Ms Bhutto set up a Pakistan People's Party office in London, and began a campaign against General Zia.
She returned to Pakistan in 1986, attracting huge crowds to political rallies.
After Gen Zia died in an explosion on board his aircraft in 1988, she became one of the first democratically elected female prime ministers in an Islamic country.
Corruption charges
During both her stints in power, the role of Ms Bhutto's husband, Asif Zardari, proved highly controversial.
He played a prominent role in both her administrations, and has been accused by various Pakistani governments of stealing millions of dollars from state coffers - charges he and his wife deny.
It is alleged that this money has been stashed in secret accounts throughout Europe.
Many commentators argued that Ms Bhutto's downfall was accelerated by the alleged greed of her husband.
None of about 18 corruption and criminal cases against Mr Zardari has been proved in court after 10 years. But he served at least eight years in jail.
He was freed on bail in 2004 amid accusations that the charges against him were weak and going nowhere.
Ms Bhutto has also steadfastly denied all the corruption charges against her, which she says are politically motivated.
Until an amnesty in October 2007, she faced corruption charges in at least five cases, all without a conviction.
A deal may be in the offing with the Pakistani president
She was convicted in 1999 for failing to appear in court, but the Supreme Court has since overturned that judgement.
Soon after the conviction, audiotapes of conversations between the judge and some top aides of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were discovered that showed that the judge had been under pressure to convict.Ms Bhutto left Pakistan in 1999 to live abroad shortly after her conviction. Questions about her and her husband's wealth have continued to dog her.
She is also appealing against a conviction in the Swiss courts for money-laundering.
During her years outside Pakistan, Ms Bhutto lived with her three children in Dubai, where she was joined by her husband after he was freed in 2004.
She has been a regular visitor to Western capitals, delivering lectures at universities and think-tanks and meeting government officials.
Army mistrust
Ms Bhutto returned to Pakistan on 18 October after President Musharraf signed into law an ordinance granting her and others an amnesty from corruption charges.
Observers say the military regime sees her as a natural ally in its efforts to isolate religious forces and their surrogate militants.
She declined a government offer to let her party head the national government after the 2002 elections, in which the party received the largest number of votes.
But during the past year or so, she has emerged as a strong contender for power.
Some in Pakistan believe her recent secret talks with the military regime amount to betrayal of the democratic forces as these talks have shored up President Musharraf's grip on the country.
Others say such talks indicate that the military may at long last be getting over its decades-old mistrust of Ms Bhutto and her party, which is a good omen for democracy.
Western powers see in her a popular leader with liberal leanings who could bring much needed legitimacy to Mr Musharraf's role in the "war against terror".
Unhappy family
Benazir Bhutto is the last remaining bearer of her late father's political legacy.
Her brother, Murtaza - who was once expected to play an increasingly important role as a party leader - fled to the then-communist Afghanistan after his father's fall.
From there, and various Middle Eastern capitals, he mounted a campaign against Pakistan's military government with a militant group called al-Zulfikar.
He won elections from exile in 1993 and became a provincial legislator, returning home soon afterwards, only to be shot dead under mysterious circumstances in 1996.
Benazir's other brother, Shahnawaz - also politically active but in less violent ways than Murtaza - was found dead in his French Riviera apartment in 1985.
