A bomb killed a Pakistani provincial minister and at least 16 other people on Sunday at the minister's home in the political heartland of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab province officials said.
Police said the blast caused the roof to cave in as Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada held meetings with around 20 people in his hometown of Attock in northern Pakistan.
Two suicide bombers also died in the attack and several people were still missing and presumed to be under the rubble, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said.
Salman Rafiq, provincial health adviser for Punjab, said Khanzada had died. Punjab is Pakistan's biggest and wealthiest province and Attock is located at its northern tip, on the road between Islamabad and Peshawar.
"There were between 20 and 30 people present when the blast took place," district information officer Shahzad Niaz told Reuters. "The roof collapsed."
Rescue workers at the scene said nine bodies had been recovered so far.
A Taliban-affiliated militant group, Lashkar-e-Islam, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was retaliation for military operations against them.
"Such types of attacks will continue in the future," group member Saluddin Ayubi told Reuters.
It was unclear if Lashkar-e-Islam, based mainly in the tribal areas along the Afghan border, had actually carried out the attack or was just taking credit for it.
If the claim was true, the bombing would represent a significant development in the group's ability to strike at high level targets. Such large attacks are more usually the hallmark of the Taliban or banned sectarian group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 190 million people, is plagued by a Taliban insurgency, criminal gangs and sectarian violence.
Punjab has traditionally been more peaceful than other parts of Pakistan. Sharif's opponents have accused him of tolerating militancy in return for peace in his province, a charge he hotly denies.
Two weeks ago, Punjab police killed the leader of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, along with his two sons, deputy, and 10 other supporters.
Police described the incident as a shootout as he sought to escape from custody, but many insiders say the shooting had the hallmarks of an extrajudicial killing.
Reuters
Sun Aug 16 2015
Pakistani rescue workers carry a dead body after recovering from the rubble at the site of suicide bombing in Shadi Khan, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest from Pakistani capital, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015. - AP Photo/Anjum Naveed
Inisiatif IHH Healthcare lancar pemasangan panel solar wajar jadi contoh - Fadillah Yusof
IHH Healthcare Malaysia mencatatkan pencapaian baharu dengan melancarkan inisiatif pemasangan panel solar di seluruh rangkaian hospitalnya sekali gus menjadikannya pelopor.
Ahmad Zahid ucap tahniah kepada Farah Ain
Ahmad Zahid mengucapkan tahniah kepada atlet boling padang Nor Farah Ain Abdullah yang muncul juara pada Kejohanan Boling Padang Dalam Dewan Dunia 2024.
Raih RM31 juta sejak ditayangkan! Sheriff kini filem no. 1 di Malaysia
Berita gembira ini turut disokong oleh abang Syafiq, Syamsul Yusof yang turut bangga dengan kejayaan naskhah yang dihasilkan adiknya.
Letupan bom Sungai Golok: PDRM tingkat kawalan keselamatan sempadan Malaysia-Thailand
PDRM mempertingkatkan kawalan keselamatan di sempadan Malaysia-Thailand susulan insiden letupan bom dan bunyi tembakan di Sungai Golok.
Pemain ragbi meninggal dunia selepas perlawanan pasukan pilihan MB Kedah
Seorang bekas pemain Sukma Kedah meninggal dunia selepas menyertai perlawanan pertunjukan pasukan pilihan Menteri Besar Kedah pada Ahad.
OCC: Masih banyak usaha perlu dibuat dalam isu hak kanak-kanak
Masih banyak yang perlu dilakukan kerana Malaysia masih ketinggalan berbanding negara lain dalam menangani isu penderaan dan masalah sosial melibatkan kanak-kanak.
iPad Pro mungkin dijana dengan cip Apple M4 terbaharu, fokus ciri AI
Cip Apple M4 dijangka memfokuskan kepada keupayaan enjin neural yang disertakan bersama dengannya membolehkan ia menawarkan ciri AI yang lebih baik.
Lebih 840,000 permohonan untuk London Marathon 2025 pecah rekod dunia
Jumlah permohonan untuk menyertai larian TCS London Marathon tahun depan telah memecahkan rekod dunia.
WEF: Anwar jumpa 50 pemimpin industri & perniagaan, yakin pelabur bernilai tinggi pilih Malaysia
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menzahirkan keyakinan lebih banyak pelabur bernilai tinggi akan memilih Malaysia sebagai destinasi pelaburan mengikut jejak langkah syarikat-syarikat gergasi seperti Tesla, AWS, Infineon dan Nvidia.
AWANI Ringkas: Ikut jejak syarikat gergasi lain
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.