A suicide bomber killed at&nbsp;least 7&nbsp;people, including four police officers, in an attack near a checkpoint in the Pakistani city of Quetta, officials told Reuters. So far, 15 people have&nbsp;been wounded.&nbsp;

The explosion took place near the Inspector General of Police (IGP),and went off when officers went to search the car. &nbsp;No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The director general of police in the state of Baluchistan that it appeared like the bombed had detonated a car filled with&nbsp;explosives

&quot;Seven dead bodies have been brought to the Civil Hospital in&nbsp;Quetta&nbsp;and at least five people are in critical condition,&quot; Cheema said.

Nine security officials were wounded, said a doctor at the Civic Hospital.

&quot;It&#39;s possible the IG office was the target, or the assailants were trying to enter the (army) cantonment which is close by,&quot; said an official.

Television footage showed emergency services rushing to the scene, which was covered in debris, while security officials cordoned off the area.

&nbsp;

Background&nbsp;

Quetta&nbsp;is about 100 km (60 miles) east of the border with Afghanistan and is the capital of Baluchistan, which has been plagued by militant violence. The province is the base of a separatist movement as well as home to the Taliban and other militant Islamist groups.

It is also at the centre of Chinese-backed &quot;Belt and Road&quot; development projects worth $57 billion that first focused on Chinese firms building roads and power stations but is now expanding to include setting up industries.

Militants from the Islamic State group abducted and killed two Chinese nationals in&nbsp;Quetta&nbsp;last month.

That attack prompted Pakistan to boost security around Chinese nationals and other foreigners in the province, which is already one of the most militarised regions in the country.

&nbsp;

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast

A suicide bomber killed at least 7 people, including four police officers, in an attack near a checkpoint in the Pakistani city of Quetta, officials told Reuters. So far, 15 people have been wounded. The explosion took place near the Inspector General of Police (IGP),and went off when officers went to search the car. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The director general of police in the state of Baluchistan that it appeared like the bombed had detonated a car filled with explosives "Seven dead bodies have been brought to the Civil Hospital in Quetta and at least five people are in critical condition," Cheema said. Nine security officials were wounded, said a doctor at the Civic Hospital. "It's possible the IG office was the target, or the assailants were trying to enter the (army) cantonment which is close by," said an official. Television footage showed emergency services rushing to the scene, which was covered in debris, while security officials cordoned off the area. Background Quetta is about 100 km (60 miles) east of the border with Afghanistan and is the capital of Baluchistan, which has been plagued by militant violence. The province is the base of a separatist movement as well as home to the Taliban and other militant Islamist groups. It is also at the centre of Chinese-backed "Belt and Road" development projects worth $57 billion that first focused on Chinese firms building roads and power stations but is now expanding to include setting up industries. Militants from the Islamic State group abducted and killed two Chinese nationals in Quetta last month. That attack prompted Pakistan to boost security around Chinese nationals and other foreigners in the province, which is already one of the most militarised regions in the country.

Explosion in Pakistan's Quetta kills at least 7, injures 15

Ten labourers were gunned down in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday while working on link roads to connect outlying towns to the country&#39;s $57-billion Chinese &quot;Belt and Road&quot; initiative, security officials confirmed. 
 
The attack on the Pakistani labourers took place some 20 kilometres from the emerging port city of Gwadar in Baluchistan province that forms the southern hub of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

&quot;All the labourers were shot at close range,&quot; said senior levies official Muhammad Zareef, adding that the shooters were travelling on a motorcycle. The levies are a paramilitary force that oversees security in Baluchistan where police jurisdiction is limited to major urban centres.

Gwadar&#39;s deep-water port is the exit point for a planned route from China&#39;s far-western Xinjiang region to the Arabian Sea.

Nadeem Javaid, who advises Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif&#39;s government and works closely on the CPEC programme, told Reuters earlier in the week that the Gwadar-Xinjiang corridor should be operational from June next year.

He said Pakistan expects up to 4 per cent of global trade to pass through it by 2020.

Baluchistan, however, has long faced security concerns. Separatist militants in the province have waged a campaign against the central government for decades, demanding a greater share of the gas-rich region&#39;s resources.

Security officials have said previously that militants trying to disrupt construction on the &quot;economic corridor&quot; have killed 44 workers since 2014, all of whom were Pakistani.

Pakistan&#39;s military created an army division in 2015, believed to number more than 10,000 troops, specifically to protect CPEC projects and Chinese workers.

The men killed and wounded on Saturday had been working for the provincial government at two separate construction sites on three kilometres apart along the same road. Two labourers wounded in the shootings were taken to hospital where one of them died from his injuries, Zareef said.

The roads the labourers were working on are not specific CPEC-funded projects, but they are part of a network of connecting roads that are part of the corridor.

No group has admitted responsibility for the shootings but past attacks in the region have been carried out by separatists who view construction projects as a means to take over their land.

The shootings come a day after a suicide bomber targetting a Pakistani senator killed 26 people and injured 40, Baluchistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti said.

Friday&#39;s attack was claimed by Islamic State via its Amaq news agency. 
 
(Reuters)

The attack took place 20 kms from Gwadar port city that forms the southern hub of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

Ten labourers were gunned down in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday while working on link roads to connect outlying towns to the country's $57-billion Chinese "Belt and Road" initiative, security officials confirmed. The attack on the Pakistani labourers took place some 20 kilometres from the emerging port city of Gwadar in Baluchistan province that forms the southern hub of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). "All the labourers were shot at close range," said senior levies official Muhammad Zareef, adding that the shooters were travelling on a motorcycle. The levies are a paramilitary force that oversees security in Baluchistan where police jurisdiction is limited to major urban centres. Gwadar's deep-water port is the exit point for a planned route from China's far-western Xinjiang region to the Arabian Sea. Nadeem Javaid, who advises Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government and works closely on the CPEC programme, told Reuters earlier in the week that the Gwadar-Xinjiang corridor should be operational from June next year. He said Pakistan expects up to 4 per cent of global trade to pass through it by 2020. Baluchistan, however, has long faced security concerns. Separatist militants in the province have waged a campaign against the central government for decades, demanding a greater share of the gas-rich region's resources. Security officials have said previously that militants trying to disrupt construction on the "economic corridor" have killed 44 workers since 2014, all of whom were Pakistani. Pakistan's military created an army division in 2015, believed to number more than 10,000 troops, specifically to protect CPEC projects and Chinese workers. The men killed and wounded on Saturday had been working for the provincial government at two separate construction sites on three kilometres apart along the same road. Two labourers wounded in the shootings were taken to hospital where one of them died from his injuries, Zareef said. The roads the labourers were working on are not specific CPEC-funded projects, but they are part of a network of connecting roads that are part of the corridor. No group has admitted responsibility for the shootings but past attacks in the region have been carried out by separatists who view construction projects as a means to take over their land. The shootings come a day after a suicide bomber targetting a Pakistani senator killed 26 people and injured 40, Baluchistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti said. Friday's attack was claimed by Islamic State via its Amaq news agency. (Reuters)

Pakistan: 10 labourers gunned down near China 'Belt and Road' projects near Gwadar

Islamic State has claimed&nbsp;responsibility for the suicide bomb attack in Pakistan&#39;s Balochistan&nbsp;province which&nbsp;killed at least 25 people, Reuters&nbsp;reported.

The group&#39;s Amaq news agency said a bomber wearing an explosive vest was responsible for the attack.

A bomb exploded next to a convoy of the deputy chairman of the Pakistan&nbsp;Senate in Baluchistan province this evening.&nbsp;The blast occurred in the town of Mastung, 50 km (30 miles) from the provincial capital of Quetta. Television footage showed a vehicle mangled by the blast.

At least 35 people have been wounded in the blast. Ten people are&nbsp;in critical condition in hospital, officials said.

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6hSPL7rPvXk"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
A &quot;huge&quot; explosion in Pakistan&#39;s restive south-western Balochistan province that apparently targeted a top official&#39;s convoy killed at least ten people and wounded &quot;many&quot; others, police and witnesses told AFP (WION)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Police confirmed senate deputy chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri was injured in the blast in Mastung district, east of the provincial capital Quetta.

Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri&nbsp;told Reuters minutes after the blast that he believed he was the target and he had sustained minor injuries.

&quot;My convoy was going to Mastung and there was an explosion. There are many casualties as there were many people in the convoy,&quot; he told Reuters.

&quot;It is not yet clear whether it was a planted bomb or a suicide attack,&quot; police official Safar Khan told AFP as he gave the toll.

Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri is&nbsp;the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament. He&nbsp;is a member of Jamiat e Ulema Islam, a right-wing Sunni Islamist political party that is part of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif&#39;s coalition government.

Developing

(WION with agency inputs)

Police confirmed senate deputy chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri was injured in the blast

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack in Pakistan's Balochistan province which killed at least 25 people, Reuters reported. The group's Amaq news agency said a bomber wearing an explosive vest was responsible for the attack. A bomb exploded next to a convoy of the deputy chairman of the Pakistan Senate in Baluchistan province this evening. The blast occurred in the town of Mastung, 50 km (30 miles) from the provincial capital of Quetta. Television footage showed a vehicle mangled by the blast. At least 35 people have been wounded in the blast. Ten people are in critical condition in hospital, officials said. A "huge" explosion in Pakistan's restive south-western Balochistan province that apparently targeted a top official's convoy killed at least ten people and wounded "many" others, police and witnesses told AFP (WION) × Police confirmed senate deputy chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri was injured in the blast in Mastung district, east of the provincial capital Quetta. Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri told Reuters minutes after the blast that he believed he was the target and he had sustained minor injuries. "My convoy was going to Mastung and there was an explosion. There are many casualties as there were many people in the convoy," he told Reuters. "It is not yet clear whether it was a planted bomb or a suicide attack," police official Safar Khan told AFP as he gave the toll. Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri is the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament. He is a member of Jamiat e Ulema Islam, a right-wing Sunni Islamist political party that is part of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's coalition government. Developing (WION with agency inputs)

Pakistan: Islamic State claims responsibility for Balochistan suicide attack, death toll rises to 25

A remote-controlled roadside bomb targeting a minibus killed at least 10 people and wounded several others in Pakistan&#39;s northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan on Tuesday, an official in the region said.

&quot;Ten people were killed, including a woman and one child,&quot; Shahid Ali Khan, assistant political agent for Kurram Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), told Reuters.

Khan said the militants planted a roadside bomb in Kurram Agency, close to the Afghanistan border. &quot;When the passengers were coming, they detonated the remote-controlled bomb,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

An official said the militants planted a roadside bomb in Kurram Agency, close to the Afghanistan border

A remote-controlled roadside bomb targeting a minibus killed at least 10 people and wounded several others in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan on Tuesday, an official in the region said. "Ten people were killed, including a woman and one child," Shahid Ali Khan, assistant political agent for Kurram Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), told Reuters. Khan said the militants planted a roadside bomb in Kurram Agency, close to the Afghanistan border. "When the passengers were coming, they detonated the remote-controlled bomb," he said. (Reuters)

At least 10 in minibus killed by roadside bomb in Pakistan

At least five people have been killed and 10 wounded in a blast which appeared to have been a Taliban attack targeting a census team in Pakistan&#39;s eastern city of Lahore Wednesday, officials and the militants said.

Security forces cordoned off the area on Bedian Road in the bustling capital of Punjab province after the blast, which rescuers said occurred just before 8:00 am local time. A forensics team could also be seen at the site.&nbsp;

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or Pakistani Taliban) claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent to AFP.

Punjab health minister Khawaja Imran Nazir said five people had been killed, with the toll confirmed by a security source and a Lahore administration official.

A police official said the census team had been the target, though the Pakistan Board of Statistics declined to comment. The TTP in its statement said it had carried out the attack in revenge on security forces.

Teams of enumerators backed by the military and security forces are carrying out Pakistan&#39;s first census in almost two decades, an enormous and highly charged task that could redraw the country&#39;s political map one year before national parliamentary elections.

The police official said at least 10 people had been wounded, though rescuers gave a higher figure of 18.

Some officials initially described the incident as a gas cylinder explosion, but said an investigation was ongoing. There was no immediate comment from the military.

&quot;There is a possibility that it was a suicide attack,&quot; Lahore official Abdullah Sumbal said.&nbsp;

&quot;The census is a national duty, and we will complete this task,&quot; he added. &quot;There was no lack of security, but you know how difficult it is to deal with suicide attacks.&quot;

Pakistan unnerved

Lahore has been on edge since a wave of violent attacks across Pakistan in February killed 130 people and shook citizens emboldened by growing security.

The attacks included a bomb blast in the eastern city on February 13 which killed 14 people in an assault claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a faction of the Pakistani Taliban.

Ten days later a fresh blast sent panic through the city when it killed eight people, though officials later said it was a gas leak, not an attack as initially feared.

Wednesday&#39;s explosion came days after at least 22 people were killed and 57 wounded on March 31, when a car bomb tore through a market in a mainly Shiite area of Pakistan&#39;s tribal belt in an attack that was also claimed by JuA.

February&#39;s assaults also included a suicide blast at a Sufi shrine in Sindh province which killed 90 people and was claimed by Islamic State.

(AFP)

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or Pakistani Taliban) claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent to AFP

At least five people have been killed and 10 wounded in a blast which appeared to have been a Taliban attack targeting a census team in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore Wednesday, officials and the militants said. Security forces cordoned off the area on Bedian Road in the bustling capital of Punjab province after the blast, which rescuers said occurred just before 8:00 am local time. A forensics team could also be seen at the site. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or Pakistani Taliban) claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent to AFP. Punjab health minister Khawaja Imran Nazir said five people had been killed, with the toll confirmed by a security source and a Lahore administration official. A police official said the census team had been the target, though the Pakistan Board of Statistics declined to comment. The TTP in its statement said it had carried out the attack in revenge on security forces. Teams of enumerators backed by the military and security forces are carrying out Pakistan's first census in almost two decades, an enormous and highly charged task that could redraw the country's political map one year before national parliamentary elections. The police official said at least 10 people had been wounded, though rescuers gave a higher figure of 18. Some officials initially described the incident as a gas cylinder explosion, but said an investigation was ongoing. There was no immediate comment from the military. "There is a possibility that it was a suicide attack," Lahore official Abdullah Sumbal said. "The census is a national duty, and we will complete this task," he added. "There was no lack of security, but you know how difficult it is to deal with suicide attacks." Pakistan unnerved Lahore has been on edge since a wave of violent attacks across Pakistan in February killed 130 people and shook citizens emboldened by growing security. The attacks included a bomb blast in the eastern city on February 13 which killed 14 people in an assault claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a faction of the Pakistani Taliban. Ten days later a fresh blast sent panic through the city when it killed eight people, though officials later said it was a gas leak, not an attack as initially feared. Wednesday's explosion came days after at least 22 people were killed and 57 wounded on March 31, when a car bomb tore through a market in a mainly Shiite area of Pakistan's tribal belt in an attack that was also claimed by JuA. February's assaults also included a suicide blast at a Sufi shrine in Sindh province which killed 90 people and was claimed by Islamic State. (AFP)

At least five killed in blast in Lahore, Pakistan

An explosion apparently targeting a mosque in the Pakistani city of Parachinar, in the remote northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan, killed at least 22&nbsp;people and wounded dozens, officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the blast, which occurred as people gathered for Friday prayers near the women&#39;s entrance of a Shia mosque in the central bazaar, follows a series of attacks this year.

A parliamentarian from Parachinar, Sajid Hussain, said it was a suicide attack and was preceded by gunfire. &quot;The attack took place in a busy area and a women&#39;s mosque appears to be the target,&quot; he said.

Last month, more than 70 people were killed and dozens wounded in an attack on a crowded Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan. In January, at least 21 people were killed when an explosion hit a vegetable market in Parachinar itself.

Authorities in mainly Sunni-Muslim Pakistan said rescue helicopters had been sent to the scene.

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N-NBO5HLUQY"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
The blast occurred as people gathered for Friday prayers near the women&#39;s entrance of a Shia mosque (WION)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Mumtaz Hussain, a doctor at the local Agency Headquarters Hospital, said five bodies, including a woman and two children, and more than three dozen wounded had been brought to the hospital and an appeal had been issued for blood donors.

&quot;Patients are being brought to us in private cars and ambulances and we have received over three dozen patients so far,&quot; Hussain told Reuters.

The attacks have shattered hopes that Pakistan may have come through the militant violence that had scarred its recent history and increased pressure on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif&#39;s government to show it was improving security.

Parachinar is the capital of the Kurram tribal region, where Pakistani security forces have battled militant groups for years.

(Reuters)

The blast occurred as people gathered for Friday prayers near the women's entrance of a Shia mosque

An explosion apparently targeting a mosque in the Pakistani city of Parachinar, in the remote northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan, killed at least 22 people and wounded dozens, officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the blast, which occurred as people gathered for Friday prayers near the women's entrance of a Shia mosque in the central bazaar, follows a series of attacks this year. A parliamentarian from Parachinar, Sajid Hussain, said it was a suicide attack and was preceded by gunfire. "The attack took place in a busy area and a women's mosque appears to be the target," he said. Last month, more than 70 people were killed and dozens wounded in an attack on a crowded Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan. In January, at least 21 people were killed when an explosion hit a vegetable market in Parachinar itself. Authorities in mainly Sunni-Muslim Pakistan said rescue helicopters had been sent to the scene. The blast occurred as people gathered for Friday prayers near the women's entrance of a Shia mosque (WION) × Mumtaz Hussain, a doctor at the local Agency Headquarters Hospital, said five bodies, including a woman and two children, and more than three dozen wounded had been brought to the hospital and an appeal had been issued for blood donors. "Patients are being brought to us in private cars and ambulances and we have received over three dozen patients so far," Hussain told Reuters. The attacks have shattered hopes that Pakistan may have come through the militant violence that had scarred its recent history and increased pressure on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government to show it was improving security. Parachinar is the capital of the Kurram tribal region, where Pakistani security forces have battled militant groups for years. (Reuters)

22 killed, dozens wounded as blast rocks Pakistan's northwest tribal region

The powerful blast that ripped through a residential society in Lahore was an accident and not an act of terrorism, according to a forensic report.

Eight people were dead and 30 wounded when there was a blast at Defence Housing Authority Z-Block on Saturday.

But Punjab Police clarified that it was not perpetrated by any terror group, adding&nbsp;&ldquo;the individuals found guilty of negligence for the DHA accident will be held accountable&quot;, Pakistan Today reported.

A day earlier, law minister of provibicial Punjab government, Rana Sanaullah, had said there were no traces of explosives found at the site of explosion.

(WION)

&nbsp;

A forensic report confirmed that the blast that left eight people dead on Thursday was a fatal mishap, according to Punjab Police

The powerful blast that ripped through a residential society in Lahore was an accident and not an act of terrorism, according to a forensic report. Eight people were dead and 30 wounded when there was a blast at Defence Housing Authority Z-Block on Saturday. But Punjab Police clarified that it was not perpetrated by any terror group, adding “the individuals found guilty of negligence for the DHA accident will be held accountable", Pakistan Today reported. A day earlier, law minister of provibicial Punjab government, Rana Sanaullah, had said there were no traces of explosives found at the site of explosion. (WION)

Pakistan: Lahore blast an accident, not 'an act of terrorism'

A blast at a ship-breaking yard in Pakistan killed at least 12 workers and injured more than 50 on Tuesday.

The blast ripped through an oil tanker and trapped people inside the vessel, local officials said, news agency Reuters reported.

The vessel moored in Gaddani village caught fire, the leader of a ship-breaking workers union said, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

&quot;Things are really bad here,&quot; union president Basheer Mehmoodani told Reuters by telephone. &quot;There&#39;s an unclear number of workers said to be trapped in the burning ship.&quot;

A representative of the National Trade Union Federation of Pakistan Nasir Mansoor said the explosion caused metal pieces to fly up to two kilometres away. The blast occurred in the fuel tank of the ship, he said. Firefighters from Karachi and from the air force and navy were attempting to put out the blaze on the tank but they lacked the &quot;foam required to douse it&quot;, Mansoor added.

Labourers in Gaddani often work in poor conditions without basic protective gear, Reuters said.

(With inputs from Reuters)

The blast occurred in the fuel tank of the ship and trapped people inside the vessel

A blast at a ship-breaking yard in Pakistan killed at least 12 workers and injured more than 50 on Tuesday. The blast ripped through an oil tanker and trapped people inside the vessel, local officials said, news agency Reuters reported. The vessel moored in Gaddani village caught fire, the leader of a ship-breaking workers union said, Reuters reported. "Things are really bad here," union president Basheer Mehmoodani told Reuters by telephone. "There's an unclear number of workers said to be trapped in the burning ship." A representative of the National Trade Union Federation of Pakistan Nasir Mansoor said the explosion caused metal pieces to fly up to two kilometres away. The blast occurred in the fuel tank of the ship, he said. Firefighters from Karachi and from the air force and navy were attempting to put out the blaze on the tank but they lacked the "foam required to douse it", Mansoor added. Labourers in Gaddani often work in poor conditions without basic protective gear, Reuters said. (With inputs from Reuters)

Pakistan: Explosion at ship-breaking yard kills at least 12

Six people were killed including two public officials today after a bomb hit a car in Pakistans restive north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said, adding the intended target of the attack was not in the vehicle. An improvised explosive device planted along a roadside detonated after the vehicle carrying seven people passed by in the north-western town of Upper Dir. 
 
&quot;The bomb in fact targeted Malik Mutabar Khan, the pro-government elder and peace committee head, who was not present in the car at the time of the explosion,&quot; Yar Muhammad, a local police official said. &quot;Six other people including two local councillors were killed in the explosion.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
One of the passengers in the vehicle sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital. &quot;It was just by chance that Malik Mutabar Khan got out of the vehicle at a nearby place before the explosion,&quot; Muhammad added. District police officer Athar Waheed also confirmed the incident but put the death toll at seven. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the Taliban have often targeted pro-government tribal elders in the north-western province.&nbsp; 
 
Pakistan, which has been battling Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked fighters in the restive tribal belt for over a decade, launched an offensive to clear their strongholds in North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, in 2014. 
 
The army announced in May this year it had cleared the last militant stronghold in North Waziristans Shawal valley, in the final phase of the mission. 
 
The operation was intensified after the Taliban massacred more than 150 people, the majority of them children, at a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar in December 2014. 
 
(AFP)

According to a local police officer, the bomb targeted Malik Mutabar Khan, the pro-government elder and peace committee head

Six people were killed including two public officials today after a bomb hit a car in Pakistans restive north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said, adding the intended target of the attack was not in the vehicle. An improvised explosive device planted along a roadside detonated after the vehicle carrying seven people passed by in the north-western town of Upper Dir. "The bomb in fact targeted Malik Mutabar Khan, the pro-government elder and peace committee head, who was not present in the car at the time of the explosion," Yar Muhammad, a local police official said. "Six other people including two local councillors were killed in the explosion." One of the passengers in the vehicle sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital. "It was just by chance that Malik Mutabar Khan got out of the vehicle at a nearby place before the explosion," Muhammad added. District police officer Athar Waheed also confirmed the incident but put the death toll at seven. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the Taliban have often targeted pro-government tribal elders in the north-western province. Pakistan, which has been battling Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked fighters in the restive tribal belt for over a decade, launched an offensive to clear their strongholds in North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, in 2014. The army announced in May this year it had cleared the last militant stronghold in North Waziristans Shawal valley, in the final phase of the mission. The operation was intensified after the Taliban massacred more than 150 people, the majority of them children, at a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar in December 2014. (AFP)

Bomb kills six in north-west Pakistan: police

pakistan-blast

Pakistan Blast, News on Pakistan Blast, stories on Pakistan Blast, articles on Pakistan Blast, Pakistan Blast stories at Wion, Pakistan Blast news, Pakistan Blast latest news

pakistan blast