Islamabad: A suicide bomber blew himself up near the venue of a political rally at Battagram in
northwest Pakistan Monday, killing seven persons and injuring
25 others, police said.
The bomber struck as workers of the PML-Q party,
which is part of the ruling coalition at the centre, were
preparing for a rally to be addressed by senior party leader
and former federal minister Amir Muqam.
The bomber detonated his explosive vest after he was
stopped by policemen deployed to guard the venue of the
meeting.
Two policemen and two women were among the seven
persons killed by the blast, police officials said.
Twenty-five people, including women and children, were
injured. Officials described the condition of eight of them as
serious.
The blast hit the nearby office of the water and power
utility, witnesses said.
Initial reports had said that three policemen were
killed in the attack.
PML-Q workers said senior leader Amir Muqam was safe
as he was not at the venue at the time of the blast. The rally
was cancelled following the blast.
The main market in Battagram was closed to protest the
attack.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack though
such suicide bombings are usually blamed on the Pakistani
Taliban.
PTI
First Published: Monday, July 11, 2011, 16:40