1947: Pakistan is born; Muhammad Ali Jinnah becomes governor-general of the new nation.

1958: President Iskander Mirza abrogates Constitution, declares martial law, but sent into exile by General Mohammad Ayub Khan who assumes presidency.

1965: Second war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. 1969: Martial law declared; Ayub Khan resigns; General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan assumes presidency.

1971: East Pakistan secedes, Bangladesh is born; Yahya Khan resigns; Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto becomes Pakistan president.

1973: New constitution goes into effect; Bhutto becomes prime minister.

1977: General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq proclaims martial law. 1978: Zia becomes Pakistan's sixth president. 1979: Islamic penal code introduced; Bhutto hanged. 1985: General elections held. 1988: Zia dismisses Prime Minister Mohammmad Khan Junejo's government, orders new elections; Zia killed in mysterious place crash; elections held; Benazir Bhutto sworn in as first woman prime minister of a Muslim nation.

1990: National elections see Benazir Bhutto's PPP losing to coalition of rightist parties; Nawaz Sharif elected prime minister.

1993: President Ishaq Khan dismisses Sharif's government, citing corruption; elections held; Benazir Bhutto's government wins slim margin; Benazir becomes prime minister.

1996: President Farooq Leghari dismisses Benazir Bhutto; accuses her government of corruption and nepotism.

1997: National elections held; Sharif comes to power. 1999 May: Kargil conflict. 1999 October: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif overthrown in military coup led by General Pervez Musharraf who becomes chief executive.

April, 2000: Nawaz Sharif sentenced to life imprisonment on hijacking and terrorism charges.

December, 2000: Sharif goes into exile in Saudi Arabia. 2001: 20 June - Gen Pervez Musharraf names himself president while remaining head of the army.

July, 2001: Musharraf's Agra summit with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

April, 2002: Musharraf wins another five years in office in a referendum criticised as unconstitutional.

October-November, 2002: First general election since the 1999 military coup results in a hung parliament. Mir Zafarullah Jamali selected as prime minister.

August, 2004: Shaukat Aziz is sworn in as prime minister. 2007 March: President Musharraf suspends the Chief Justice Iftakar Mohammed Chaudhry, triggering a wave of anger across the country.

July, 2007: Security forces storm the Red Mosque complex in Islamabad following a week-long siege.

Supreme Court reinstates Chief Justice Chaudhry. 2007 July: Bhutto, Musharraf hold secret meeting in Abu Dhabi on a possible power-sharing deal.

August, 2007: Supreme Court rules Sharif can return from exile.

September, 2007: Sharif returns but is sent back to exile within hours.

October, 2007: Musharraf wins most votes in presidential election. The Supreme Court says no winner can be formally announced until it rules if the general was eligible to stand for election while still army chief.

Ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto returns from exile. Dozens of people die in a suicide bomb targeting her homecoming parade in Karachi.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, November 03, 2007