Nine hurt in Pakistan court blast

Investigators examine the blast site in Peshawar

At least nine people have been wounded in a car bomb blast outside the high court in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, police say.

One of the injured is reported to be in a serious condition.

The wounded have been taken to hospital. Police say it is not clear who planted the device.

A series of blasts have hit Peshawar over the past year. A fortnight ago, a powerful bomb blast in a hotel in the city killed at least 24 people.

Lawyers' fears

Most of the injured were passers-by, the police said.

"It was a car bomb, we have started investigations," senior police officer Iftikhar Khan told AFP news agency.

Officials said explosives were attached to a car parked 30 metres from the court's main gate. The blast destroyed the vehicle and several others parked nearby.

Police officials said that although it was premature to comment on the target, the attack seemed to fit in with the general pattern of recent attacks by extremists.

But lawyers from the local bar association told the BBC that the attack was to scare them into abandoning their campaign in support of Pakistan's suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

President Musharraf suspended him on charges of abuse of power in March.

Mr Chaudhry denies the charges, and his supporters - including lawyers and political parties - have launched a nationwide campaign to have him restored.

A local bar association spokesman accused the Pakistani secret agencies of being behind the blast, but he also said the lawyers would not be cowed by such means.