ISLAMABAD (AP) 鈥 A list of some key events over the last few years leading up to Pakistan's parliamentary election on Thursday:
July 25, 2018 鈥 Pakistanis in an election and allegations of fraud.
July 26, 2018 鈥 Former cricket star Imran Khan to form a coalition. A few weeks later, lawmakers .
Feb. 26, 2019 鈥 Tensions after India launched an airstrike inside Pakistan that New Delhi said targeted a terrorist training camp. Pakistan warplanes and captured a pilot in retaliation.
Aug. 15, 2021 鈥 The Taliban during the final weeks of the U.S. and NATO troop withdrawal from the country after a costly two-decade war. Afghans, fearing for the future, , one of the last routes out of Afghanistan, and also to the border crossings into Pakistan.
April 9, 2022 鈥 Pakistan鈥檚 political opposition vote in parliament. The opposition forms a new government, with , a brother of the disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, sworn in days later.
July 5, 2022 鈥 Pakistan for weeks on end, destroying homes, schools and other buildings and infrastructure. The summer becomes a time of that kill more than 1,700 people and cause billions of dollars in damage.
Nov. 3, 2022 鈥 Imran Khan in the eastern city of Lahore, an attack his party calls an assassination attempt. One of Khan's supporters is killed and nine people were hurt. The gunman was immediately arrested, and police later said he had acted alone.
Nov. 28, 2022 鈥 The Pakistani Taliban , and their fighters resume attacks across the country, mainly targeting the country's security forces.
Nov. 29, 2022 鈥 The new army chief and former spymaster Gen. Asim Munir , replacing Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, who retired from the post after a six-year term.
Jan. 30, 2023 鈥 A at a mosque inside a high-security government and police compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
May 9, 2023 鈥 and dragged from court where he arrived to face charges in multiple graft cases. His detention sparks days of by angry supporters.
July 12, 2023 鈥 The International Monetary Fund bailout deal, a move that saves Pakistan from defaulting on its debt repayments.
Aug. 5, 2023 鈥 to three years in prison after a court convicted him of corruption, the first sentence in more than 150 legal cases against him. He is , in eastern Punjab province, notorious for harsh conditions.
Aug. 9, 2023 鈥 Pakistan鈥檚 president , or lower house of parliament, a first step in the countdown to the upcoming general election.
Sept. 26, 2023 鈥 Imran Khan is moved from Attock Prison to Adiala Prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad.
Oct. 4, 2023 鈥 Pakistan on foreigners living in the country illegally, including around 1.7 million Afghans. The policy angers Afghanistan's Taliban-led government and draws widespread condemnation from aid agencies, rights groups, and the United Nations.
Oct. 21, 2023 鈥 Three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after four years in self-imposed exile abroad to avoid serving prison sentences on corruption charges. His conviction and sentences are overturned on appeal after his return.
Nov. 2, 2023 鈥 postpones parliamentary elections for a second time, saying the vote, originally expected in November and , would instead take place on Feb. 8.
Jan. 8, 2024 鈥 The on politicians with criminal convictions from contesting elections, clearing the way for Nawaz Sharif to seek a fourth term in office. The ruling says convicted politicians would be barred from running only for five years.
Jan. 16 鈥 Iran in Pakistan targeting what it described as bases for a Sunni . Pakistan calls the attack an 鈥渦nprovoked violation鈥 of its airspace and in a in fraught relations between the neighbors.
Jan. 30 鈥 in prison after being found guilty of leaking state secrets by waving a confidential document during a political rally after his ouster.
Jan. 31 鈥 Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, are on charges of retaining and selling state gifts in violation of government rules when he was in power.
Feb. 3 鈥 Khan and his wife are on charges they violated the country's marriage law when they wed in 2018. It's the fourth sentence so far for Khan and the second for his wife.
Feb. 7 鈥 A pair of kill at least 30 people and wound more than two dozen others on the eve of elections.
Feb. 8 鈥 Pakistanis begin voting for a new parliament under tight security.
