Thaindian News

Islamabad, June 13 (IANS) A Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of a private bank in Islamabad Monday, killing himself and a security guard, media reports said.

The suicide bomber tried to enter the building in Sector I-8 of the Pakistani capital, and upon resistance from the guard, he detonated the explosives, Geo News reported.

The bank - named Silk - is a joint venture reportedly owned by Saudi Arabian and Pakistani companies. The front portion of the building was destroyed in the blast, witnesses said.

A witness told Xinhua that a white car carrying three men pulled up in front of the bank and dropped a young man with a light beard and then drove away. The man was around 20 to 25 years old. The blast took place when the man was about to enter the bank.

At least five people were injured in the blast. They were taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, a government-run hospital in the capital.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, said Urdu TV channel ARY.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, taking serious note of the attack, urged Interior Minister Rehman Malik to take immediate steps to curb acts of terror.

Gilani said the incidents of terrorism were not only worsening the law and order in the country but the country was also becoming economically unstable, sources told Online news agency.

Malik condemned the blast, and said he would recommend the Sitara-e-Shujaat (Star of Bravery) award for the deceased security guard, identified as Maqbool Ahmed.

This was the second blast reported in two days in the capital.

On Sunday afternoon, at least three people were injured in a roadside blast in the northern part of the city.

The Pakistani Taliban have launched a string of attacks to avenge the killing of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by US special forces in Abbottabad city early last month.