Suicide bomber kills four at Pakistan seminary

Islamabad - A suicide bomber attacked an Islamic seminary in Pakistan's south-western province of Balochistan on Monday, killing four people and injuring five others, said an official. The bomber, who also died in the attack, struck soon after the regional chief of an Islamic party concluded his address at the seminary in Pishin district, some 60 kilometres north of provincial capital Quetta.

Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, the provincial head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and a former member of the national parliament, escaped the explosion.

The bomber blew himself up when he was stopped by security guards from entering the maddrassa, said Maulvi Agha Mohammad, a JUI member of federal parliament.

One of the injured is believed to be in a critical state.

"I spoke to Maulana Sherani. He is safe and sound and has reached Quetta," he said over phone from Pishin. "He had left madrassa 20 minutes before the suicide attack took place."

The motive of the attack was not clear. Almost all the suicide attacks in recent years in Pakistan have been carried out by the militant groups linked with Taliban and JUI is a pro-Taliban Islamic political party.

The locals arrested two suspects who were armed with assault rifles following the strike, Urdu-language the Express News television reported.