Seven people have died after a blast at the residence of the home minister of Pakistani province of Punjab on Sunday.
The home minister, Shuja Khanzada, himself is trapped under the rubble with his security officers including a DSP.
Rawalpindi’s regional police officer, Vasaal Fakhr Sultan Raja said that the roof of the interior minister Khanzada had collapsed after the blasts.
Raja said that he could not ascertain the nature of the blast. Another police officer said that the blasts took place at the minister’s house in Shadi Khan village of Attak adding that there was huge gathering present there.
These people had gathered there for local jirga (traditional community council meeting) when the blast took place.
Rescue operations have started to pull those trapped from inside the rubble.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s interior minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali, has ordered the deployment of helicopters to carry injured from Attak to Islamabad and Rawalpindi hospitals.
An official from Punjab’s anti-terrorism department said that Kahnzada was receiving threats to his life for initiating a campaign against banned religious groups in the province.
The officer said that he had asked the minister to be extra vigilant after the security forces in Punjab killed the leader of a banned religious organisation, Malik Ishaq along with 13 others, few weeks ago.
Khanzada’s native village is situated at the border diving Punjab with Khaibar Pakhtunkhwa, home to Pakistani Talibans.