Popular support for Musharraf declined when Nawaz Sharif successfully made a second attempt to return from exile , this time accompanied by his younger brother and his daughter . Hundreds of their supporters were detained before the pair arrived at Iqbal Terminal on 25November 2007 . Nawaz Sharif filed his nomination papers for two seats in the forthcoming elections whilst Benazir Bhutto filed for three seats including one of the reserved seats for women . Departing an election rally in Rawalpindi on 27December 2007 , Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by a gunman who shot her in the neck and set off a bomb . The exact sequence of the events and cause of death became points of political debate and controversy . Early reports indicated that Bhutto was hit by shrapnel or gunshots , but the Pakistani Interior ministry maintained that her death was due from a skull fracture sustained when the explosive waves threw her against the sunroof of her vehicle . The issue remains controversial and further investigations were conducted by the UK police . The Election Commission announced that due to the assassination the elections , which had been scheduled for 8January 2008 , would take place on 18February
assassinated
Assassination of Benazir Bhutto
History of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan