Bomb attacks kill 17 in Pakistan

Two bombings in separate parts of Pakistan have killed 17 people and left dozens of others injured.

In the south-western city of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, 10 people have died and 37 were injured when a bomb went off near a passenger bus.

Four of the injured are in a critical condition.

The bomb was planted on a bicycle and exploded when the bus drove by, police officer Abdur Razzak Cheema said.

Two vehicles carrying Pakistan troops had just passed by the site when the bomb exploded.

In north-western Pakistan, a suicide attacker blew himself up near a police armoured vehicle about 12 miles south of the city of Peshawar, killing seven people.

Senior police officer Mohammad Faisal said most of the dead were civilians but many police officers were among the 45 people left injured.

Mr Faisal said police had recently stepped up patrolling in the area due to threats from militants from the nearby Khyber tribal region.

The Pakistani army has carried out several operations in Khyber, in an effort to rid the area of militants.

No-one immediately claimed responsibility for either incident.

The Pakistani Taliban, which operates in the north-west, is currently engaged in peace talks with the government.

The group has announced a ceasefire but attacks claimed by its splinter groups have continued during the negotiations.

Meanwhile, a Pakistani court today issued another arrest warrant for former ruler Pervez Musharraf, although it gave him until March 31 to appear in court before the warrant would be carried out.

The legal proceedings in Musharraf’s high treason case started in December but the former general has only appeared once in court since then and has still not been formally charged. The charges had been expected to take place today but Musharraf failed to appear in court again, with his lawyers citing security concerns.

PA