It's a country that plays a central role in fighting the war on terror even as the world's most feared terrorism network calls it home. A place that's embroiled in internal conflict over notions of democracy, modernity and the role of Islam in society.

The Pakistan where former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday is a nation with a complex history and an uneasy relationship with the world community — and, often, with its own people.

Here's some of what you need to know to understand the confusing circumstances surrounding the attack on a Bhutto campaign rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

TERRORISM

Pakistan is one of the most important U.S. allies in the fight against al-Qaida and other extremists, including the Taliban.

It also may well be the country where Osama bin Laden spent most of his time in hiding since Sept. 11, 2001.

The presence of al-Qaida militants in the country's northwest is, of course, the very reason Pakistan is so important to the war on terror — breaking up a terrorism network centered in the lawless, mountainous region near the Afghan border would likely be impossible without Pakistan's cooperation.

Pakistan's army frequently clashes with Islamic militants in northern parts of the country, where the militants have been blamed for numerous suicide bombings and other attacks. But the country's intelligence agency also has supported Islamic radicals in Pakistan and the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan in an effort to gain political influence in both countries.

On Thursday, President Pervez Musharraf blamed Islamic extremists for Bhutto's assassination and said he would redouble his efforts to fight them.

ISLAM

Nearly all of Pakistan's 160 million people are Muslims. And a bitter conflict swirls around exactly what role Islam will play in how the nation is ruled.

Pakistan has generally been ruled by secular leaders, including Musharraf. But the Islamic religious right shot to prominence after Musharraf's rise to power in a 1999 military coup — and was further boosted by a wave of anti-American sentiment after the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Islamic parties gained new influence after winning dozens of seats in parliamentary elections in 2002.

Ever since, emboldened religious groups have been pushing for Islamic law, which dictates everything from women's clothing and participation in sports to how rape prosecutions are pursued. They've fought to enforce such rules on the local level and tried to pressure the national government to institute Islamic law more broadly.

DEMOCRACY