2007 Mar 9: Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf sacks supreme court chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry after he ruled against a privatisation deal. July: Supreme Court reinstates Chaudhry, who appealed against his dismissal. Nov: Musharraf again sacks Chaudhry and 60 other judges under emergency rule, fearing they might rule against his bid for a second-term presidency. 2008 Mar 9: Sharif and Zardari agree to form a coalition government after winning general elections and vow to reinstate the sacked judges. Apr 15: Sharif and Zardari meet in Islamabad on the judges issue. Apr 30: Sharif and Zardari hold talks in Dubai about the judges. May 13:Nine ministers from Sharif's PML-N resign after the government defaults on a deadline to reinstate judges. Aug 5: Zardari and Sharif sign a written agreement to reinstate judges. Aug 7: Zardari announces that judges will be restored. Aug 25: Sharif withdraws from the coalition after Zardari reneges on his written pledges to reinstate judges. Sept 6: Zardari wins presidential election with overwhelming majority. 2009 February 25: Supreme Court disqualifies Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif from contesting elections. Sharif urges the nation to rise up against the court order, which he blames on the head of state. February 26: Thousands of protesters march across Pakistan. The government puts paramilitaries on alert and detains 30 lawmakers. March 9: The government threatens Sharif with charges of sedition, warning that anyone found guilty could be punishable by life imprisonment. March 11: Sharif vows to 'save' Pakistan as he urges the masses to defy a government clampdown and join a nationwide protest. March 15: Nawaz defies house arrest and leads long march towards Islamabad. March 16: Prime Minister Gilani restores Justice Iftikhar as Chief Justice of Pakistan.