Rawalpindi, where Pakistan's military is based, is not new to political assassinations, terrorism plots or spy intrigues.
The very park where opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was attacked was the same place where Pakistan's first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was shot dead by a man on Oct. 16, 1951. The park was named Liaquat Bagh, in his memory.
President Pervez Musharraf survived two bombing attacks in Rawalpindi in December 2003, and the city has seen a new spate of suicide attacks in recent months. Thirty-five people were killed in two suicide attacks in November, one targeting a bus carrying intelligence workers.
In March, 2003, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., was captured in a raid here.