New Delhi

All public gatherings and meetings in Pakistan's capital Islamabad have been banned for two weeks after a suicide attack killed one police official and two terrorists of the Pakistani Taliban on Friday. A notification issued from the office of Deputy Commissioner (Islamabad) Irfan Nawaz Memon said late Friday that in light of recent advisories and threat alerts issued by the law enforcement agencies, and the attack on police, all kinds of corner meetings, gatherings and congregations in Islamabad will be prohibited for two weeks. 

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Memon said Islamabad's security had been beefed up to obviate the threats which could disrupt peace and tranquility causing damage to life and property, but the likelihood of such activities couldn't be ruled out in the coming days. 

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Also, political meetings at public places for the local body polls that will be held on December 31 have been banned. 

Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility for suicide blast

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, had claimed responsibility for the suicide blast. Senior police official Sohail Zafar Chattha told news agency AFP on Friday that officers were following a suspicious taxi with a man and a woman as its occupants. Chattha said the taxi was told to stop and the man was asked to exit the vehicle. 

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"He came out, but quickly went back inside and pressed a button that blew up the car," the senior police official added. Six people were injured in the blast. 

The incident took place in Sector I-10/4 in Islamabad's upscale residential area, located barely 15 kilometres away from the garrison city of Rawalpindi. 

Islamabad is considered to be one of the safest cities in Pakistan and the bombing has raised fears of the presence of terrorists. 

On Friday, a TTP spokesperson said the suicide blast was done to avenge the death of senior leader Abdul Wali, who was killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan's Paktika province.

(With inputs from agencies)

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