Islamabad: At least 12 people were killed and 50 others injured when a powerful car bomb went off at a busy market in northwest Pakistan on Monday, officials said.
The explosive-laden vehicle was parked at Kashmir Chowk in Parachinar, the main town of restive Kurram Agency.
The explosion killed 12 people instantly, officials said.
The 50 injured, some of them in a serious condition, were taken to a nearby state-run hospital. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
The blast snapped the power supply to the area and panic gripped the town. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Kurram Agency has been rocked by sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni tribesmen over the past five years.
Taliban fighters who infiltrated the region have been backing the Sunnis.
Hundreds of people have died in clashes between the rival tribesmen and militant violence.
Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf strongly condemned the bombing in Parachinar and directed authorities to provide the best medical treatment to the injured.
PTI
