General overview

Oct 12, 1999: Musharraf takes power in a military coup after Sharif tries to fire him and prevents his plane from landing. Sharif is jailed, and then exiled

Sep 12, 2001: Musharraf declares that Pakistan will withdraw its support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and fight terrorism along with the US

Mar 27, 2002: A Pakistani-US operation nets Abu Zubayda, the first of a string of al-Qaeda leaders captured in Pakistan after the September 11 attacks.

Dec 14, 2003: Explosives wreck a bridge in Rawalpindi just after Musharraf8217;s car passes. Days later, Musharraf survives twin suicide car bombings

Mar 16, 2004: The Army launches the first of a series of operations against al-Qaeda hideouts in Pakistan8217;s tribal regions along the Afghan border

Sep 5, 2006: The military signs a peace deal with tribes and militants in the North Waziristan region. The deal, criticised by the US, unravels the next year

July 10, 2007: Army commandos storm Islamabad8217;s Red Mosque, where fighting kills about 100 people, most of them suspected militants

Nov 3, 2007: Musharraf imposes a state of emergency, suspending the Constitution, purging the courts and clamping down on dissent

Nov 28, 2007: General Ashfaq Kayani becomes Army Chief, leaving Musharraf to contend with Sharif and Benazir Bhutto