Toll rises in Pakistan court blast

It was not clear who was behind the blast.

 

Quetta is the capital of Baluchistan province which has seen ongoing unrest. Residents of the province have been demanding a greater share of wealth from their natural resources.

 

Police found a head among the damage, raising suspicions that the blast could have been carried out by a suicide bomber, Niazi said.

 

Lawyers and officials surround wounded colleagues at a hospital [Reuters]

There has been a spate of suicide attacks in Pakistan that intelligence officials have linked to groups operating from tribal areas, seen as supporting the Taliban and its battle against Nato forces in Afghanistan.

 

The attacks followed a Pakistan army air strike on a base in Waziristan in mid-January.

 

Pakistan has been under mounting pressure from the US and Afghanistan to tackle Taliban sanctuaries on its territory.

 

Taliban leaders are widely believed to be operating from in and around Quetta, though Pakistan consistently denies their presence.