2nd LD: Senior provincial minister among 10 killed in East Pakistan's suicide blast

At least 10 people were killed and 20 others injured when a suicide bomber blew up himself at the political camp of the home minister of Pakistan's east Punjab province on Sunday morning, police said.

Dr Ashfaq, district emergency officer, said that the home minister Shuja Khanzada, who was holding a meeting at the camp, also got killed in the attack.

He said that a suicide bomber blew up his explosive jacket upon entering the meeting room containing 30 to 40 people.

The camp's roof was leveled to ground due to the impact of the explosion, trapping all the people inside.

The minister was reportedly receiving threat calls from various terrorist organizations ever since a targeted operation against the terrorists was launched in the province last month.

The injured people have been shifted to a nearby hospital.

Some people are still trapped in the rubbles, who are being searched for by the rescue teams.

The inured people have been shifted to hospitals in Attock and Rawalpindi where a state of emergency has been imposed.

Inter-Services Public Relations, the mouthpiece of Pakistani army said that the military has provided teams for carrying out rescue operation and also two helicopters for airlifting the seriously injured people to hospitals in Rawalpindi.

Local Urdu News channel Dawn reported that out-lawed group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.

The group's spokesperson was quoted as saying that the attack on the home minister was the revenge of the killing of their chief Malik Ishaq in a police encounter in July.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the blast and directed hospital authorities to provide best possible medical treatment to the injured people. Endi