Suicide attacker kills 12 at Pakistan judge rally

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - A suicide bomber blew himself up yesterday outside an Islamabad court where hundreds of people had gathered for a rally led by Pakistan's suspended chief justice, killing at least 12 and wounding 40.

The explosion splattered pieces of flesh and shattered glass around a marquee that was decorated with balloons and lights ahead of the speech by ousted top judge Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who was not present at the time.

Chaudhry, whose dismissal by President Pervez Musharraf on March 9 has sparked a major opposition movement, arrived at the scene after the blast and joined lawyers in prayer for the victims.

"I saw with my own eyes bodies being ripped apart and hands and arms flying through the air," said Shafqat Hayat, chief legal advisor to cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan, told AFP at the scene.

Islamabad administration chief Khalid Pervez said that at least 12 people were killed, including two women, and around 40 wounded. An emergency has been declared in all hospitals in the city, he added.

"It is now clear that it was a suicide attack," Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azeem said. Police also said they thought a suicide bomber, possibly on a motorcycle, was responsible.

The rally arranged by local lawyers was the latest in a series around the country which have drawn tens of thousands of lawyers and opposition activists in support of Chaudhry.

"We deeply regret the loss of life. The lawyers will not be stopped in their peaceful movement," Chaudhry's main lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan told reporters as the judge arrived and prayed inside the marquee.