At least eight people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, security officials say.

The bomber blew himself up near a busy bus terminal on Monday, injuring at least 17 people and destroying several nearby cars, police said.

Inyat Ullah Farooqi, the police chief of Rawalpindi, said eight civilians besides the bomber were killed in the attack.

He said the suicide bomber had been in a vehicle when he detonated his explosives.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

Officials said the bomber probably intended to attack an anti-government protest, which had been scheduled for Monday.

The protest was called off after the government vowed to reinstate the country's top judge.

"We had prior information that there could be an attack during the 'long march'," Rehman Malik, Pakistan's interior ministry chief, said.

"The people who did this are trying to destabilise Pakistan."