The Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi says a suicide attack outside a court in Islamabad has killed 12 people and injured at least 27 more.
Mohsin said a bomber was planning to attack the district courthouse, but was unable to get inside.
He said authorities would prioritise identifying the bomber, and those involved would be brought to justice.
Suicide blasts in Islamabad have been rare in recent years, footage from the scene on Tuesday showed the remains of a burnt out car and a police cordon in place.
The minister said the 27 people injured are receiving medical treatment.
He added that the attacker detonated the bomb close to a police car after waiting for up to 15 minutes.
Footage of the aftermath showed plumes of smoke rising from a charred vehicle behind a security barrier.
Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari said he strongly condemned the suicide blast, And a lawyer who said he was parking his car outside the court at the time described hearing a ‘loud bang’.
“Lawyers and people were running inside the complex,” he added. “I saw two dead bodies lying on the gate and several cars were on fire.”
The last time Pakistan’s capital was targeted by a suicide bombing was three years ago when a police officer was killed and several others injured.
There have been suicide attacks in other parts of the country in the year but not in Islamabad.
