December 27, 2007, Benizio Bouto is addressing a huge rally in the city of Raupindi or Pindi

as Pakistanis say she has minutes to live.

It's been 71 days since she returned to Pakistan to run for Prime Minister.

In that time, suicide bombers have stalked her throughout.

And today, one of them will hit his mark.

From the BBC World Service, this is Owen Bennett Jones with the assassination.

Elements within our administration and security apparatus are people who want me out of the way.

Ms. Bouto's assassination could have been prevented.

What went wrong?

And where did we go wrong?

This was not a secure zone at all.

Do the intelligence people knew it?

Episode 6. The Murder

Benizio's last day began when most people were asleep.

Pakistan's intelligence chief came to her house shortly after midnight.

His name is General Nadim Taj, a lifelong soldier he'd been promoted to lead the

Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, just weeks earlier.

General Taj has never spoken publicly about the meeting, and he declined an invitation to talk to me.

But he has given confidential briefings to people in Pakistan's security system about what happened.

And some of them have told me what he said.

According to them, his conversation with Benizio went like this.

You should call off the rally in Pindi.

...