Eight die in another suicide blast in Pak

Four policemen and as many civilians died in the attack, district police chief Muhammad Iqbal Khan said. Shah, who was on his way to his office after addressing a news conference, escaped unhurt. He said he believed he was the target of the suicide bombing.

Doctors said 20 injured people were brought to the local hospital for treatment. The critically injured were taken to Peshawar, the capital of NWFP.

The head and a leg of the suicide bomber had been found at the site of the blast, Shah said. He said security measures had recently been improved for all top police officers as they could be targeted in attacks.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Police rushed to the site and sealed the area to traffic and public.

A large number of people reached the local hospital to donate blood and to inquire if their kin were among the victims. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack and ordered an immediate inquiry.

The bombing was the latest in a series of suicide blasts that have rocked Pakistan. In recent weeks, hundreds of people were killed when suicide bombers struck at high-value targets like the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital and an ordnance factory complex in Wah cantonment.