 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - A suicide bomber attacked a lawmaker's house in eastern Pakistan on Monday, killing at least 15 people and wounding more than 50, officials and a witness said.
The blast was the latest in a string of bombings against government, military and Western targets in Pakistan, an important ally in the U.S. war on terror.
It came as Pakistan insisted Monday it has not made a deal allowing the U.S. to fire missiles at militant hide-outs in Pakistani territory after The Wall Street Journal quoted President Asif Ali Zardari as suggesting otherwise.
Zardari also told the Journal that "India has never been a threat" to his country, and called Islamist militant groups in the disputed Kashmir region "terrorists."
The reported comments could undermine Zardari just a month into his presidency, especially with Pakistan's powerful military. Pakistan's army traditionally views India as its No. 1 enemy and has denied making any agreement with the U.S. on cross-border operations.
The newspaper paraphrased Zardari as saying the U.S. has been carrying out missile strikes on Pakistani soil with his government's consent.  "We have an understanding, in the sense that we're going after an enemy together," it then quotes him as saying. The interview appeared Saturday.
Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Zardari, said the journalist had read too much into Zardari's comment and that the president was talking in generalities about fighting terrorism.
"The official position is that we do not allow foreign incursions into Pakistani territory," Babar said.
The U.S. has long carried out missile strikes against suspected al-Qaida and Taliban hide-outs in the northwest, but a recent surge in the American attacks has prompted official Pakistani condemnation.  Washington complains that Pakistan is unwilling or unable to take strong action against the extremists.
In Monday's bombing in eastern Pakistan, the attacker barged into the home of legislator Rasheed Akbar Niwani, who belongs to the main opposition party.
Police officer Khan Baig said at least 15 people were killed and more than 50 others were wounded. It was not immediately clear whether Niwani was among them or why he was targeted.
"Everything has turned black here," witness Mohammad Ashraf told The Associated Press by phone moments after the blast. "I am seeing body parts lying everywhere. There are many heads lying here. There is blood everywhere."
Punjab, Pakistan's most populous and prosperous province, has largely been spared the militant-led violence that has gripped the nation's northwest, where Taliban and al-Qaida militants have bases.
On Sunday, suspected militants fired rockets near the home of the top provincial official in northwestern Pakistan.
Last week, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the house of a leading pro-government politician, killing four people.
Associated Press writers Asif Shahzad and Zarar Khan contributed to this report. |