Benazir Bhutto was part of a political dynasty. Here she is with India's foreign minister in 1972 in Simla, where her father, President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, met India's Indira Gandhi.

Ms Bhutto in 1977, shortly after completing her education at Oxford University. Born in 1953 in the province of Sindh, she also attended Harvard.

Ms Bhutto was Pakistan's prime minister twice. The first term of office between 1988 and 1990 coincided with the latter years of UK PM Margaret Thatcher's rule.

During both her stints in power, the role of Ms Bhutto's husband, Asif Zardari, proved highly controversial as he was accused of stealing state funds - charges he denied.

Benazir Bhutto in 1991 during the rule of arch-rival Nawaz Sharif. She had been dismissed in 1990 on charges of corruption but was never tried.

Ms Bhutto was re-elected in 1993 and served as prime minister until 1996, again being dismissed for alleged corruption.

She remained in Pakistan until 1999 but then left to live abroad as questions remained about her and her husband's wealth.

Ms Bhutto lived in self-imposed exile after Pervez Musharraf assumed power in 1999. But she always planned to return - here meeting Nawaz Sharif in London in 2006.

Finally, in October 2007, she boarded a flight from Dubai to Pakistan to take on the presidency of General Musharraf.

Shortly after, she survived bomb attacks on her convoy in the southern city of Karachi that killed more than 100 people.

But Ms Bhutto said she would not be cowed and continued to campaign for the restoration of democracy and, some say, a third term as prime minister.

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