What are Articles 62 and 63 of the Pakistan constitution anyway?

Recently MQM filed a reference against Imran Khan in the National Assembly under article 62-63 of the constitution. This was in reaction to Imran Khan accusing MQM’s leader Altaf Husain of terrorism after themurder of more than 30 people in Karachi on March 12th and preparing to file a case against him in the British courts. It’s a sad state of affairs when a party responds to the charges of killing several people by launching personal attacks on the accuser

Let’s see what these two articles actually say. Here is the text of article 62 from the constitution of Pakistan -

[62. Qualifications for membership of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament).

A person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) unless :-

(a) he is a citizen of Pakistan;

[(b)

he is, in the case of the National Assembly, not less than twenty -five years of age and is enrolled as a voter in any electoral roll in- (i) any part of Pakistan, for election to a general seat or a seat reserved for non-Muslims; and (ii) any area in a Province from which he seeks membership for election to a seat reserved for women.]

(c) he is, in the case of Senate, not less than thirty years of age and is enrolled as a voter in any area in a Province or, as the case may be, the Federal Capital or the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, from where he seeks membership;

(d) he is of good character and is not commonly known as one who violates Islamic Injunctions;

(e) he has adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and practises obligatory duties prescribed by Islam as well as abstains from major sins ;

(f) he is sagacious, righteous and non-profligate and honest and ameen;

(g) he has not been convicted for a crime involving moral turpitude or for giving false evidence;

(h) he has not, after the establishment of Pakistan, worked against the integrity of the country or opposed the Ideology of Pakistan

Provided that the disqualifications specified in paragraphs (d) and (e) shall not apply to a person who is a non-Muslim, but such a person shall have good moral reputation; and

(i) he possesses such other qualifications as may be prescribed by Act of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament).]

This is quite interesting, has to be one of the most ridiculous pieces of legal text I have ever come across. Besides the fact that more than 75% of the elected members of the Pakistan parliment will get disqualified if this is ever applied on a massive scale, this is too vague, personal and undemocratic to be included in the constitution of a state that claims to be a democracy. Let’s especially look at parts d,e and f. 1. Part d says that the person has to be of good character and is not commonly known as one who violates Islam.

Firstly, how does one define good character. Do Muslim scholars have any agreement on what good character is? Secondly, a person who is commonly know as one who violates Islam may be the most righteous one around. Can we judge a person’s piety by what others say about him? It is thus possible to disqualify an elected member of the parliament by creating a perception that s/he violates Islam. If people of Pakistan are giving the person their vote of confidence in his capabilities and character by electing him to the parliament, how can some vague notion of character be used to disqualify him? That is an insult to the people of Pakistan

2. Part e states that the person must have adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings, practices obligatory duties prescribed by Islam and abstains from major sins.

This again is deliberately kept vague so that it can be opportunistically used for political purposes. “Adequate knowledge of Islam” – who is the judge of that? Islam by its very nature is a democratic religion, Islam does not have a pope, everything is between you and your God. The idea of having one individual or a set of individuals assigned to assess righteousness in others goes against the very spirit of Islam.

3. Part f says that the person in question has to be “sagacious, righteous and non-profligate and honest and ameen”.

In the 32 years of my life (21 in Pakistan and the rest in the US), I have yet to meet even a single individual who meets this criteria. How can such personal and highly subjective qualities of a person be proven or disproved in the court of law. Remember, the purpose of the constitution is to set the basis of legislation, how can any precise law be derived from this article.

We must ask how did such articles make it into our constitution. As expected, it was the same person who arguably caused more harm to Pakistan than any other individual in its history – General Zia-ul-Haq. These preposterous articles were included in the constitution on Presidential Ordinance No. 14 of 1985. Remember this was the time the general was busy courting the religious parties. Now let’s look at the article 62 from the original constitution of 1973. It reads as follows –

“62. Qualifications for membership of Parliament.– A person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of Parliament unless:
(a) he is a citizen of Pakistan,
(b) he is, in the case of the National Assembly, not less than twenty-five years of age and is enrolled as a voter in any electoral roll for election to that Assembly;
(c) he is, in the case of the Senate, not less than thirty years of age and is enrolled as a voter in any area in a Province or, as the case may be, the Federal Capital or the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, from where he seeks membership; and
(d) he possess such other qualifications as may be prescribed by Act of Parliament.”

Notice the precise language, this is what our constitution was before the military dictators, first Zia-ul-Haq and then Musharraf tarnished it to the point that it has ceased to remain a constitution at all. I urge all Pakistanis to campaign to revert articles 62 and 63 back to their original form as they were in the 1973 constitution. They were inserted into the constitution to pacify the religious extremists and have no place in the constitution of a democratic or an Islamic republic. Every time I read our constitution I get bewildered by so many things that just do not make any sense at all. Most of them can be traced back to Zia’s regime.

Protests in Pakistan at Long Jail Term for Scientist in U.S.

Protesters took to the streets of cities across Pakistan on Friday, calling on their government to intervene in the case of Aafia Siddiqui, an American-educated Pakistani scientist who was sentenced to 86 years in jail on Thursday in New York.

As my colleague Benjamin Weiser reported, Ms. Siddiqui was convicted of trying to kill American soldiers and F.B.I. agents in Afghanistan, but is widely seen by Pakistanis as an innocent victim of American torture.

Protesters from Islamist parties that have campaigned for her release clashed with the police in Islamabad and Karachi, and senior government officials and opposition leaders said on Friday they would continue to press the United States to release or repatriate Ms. Siddiqui.

The Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that the nation’s Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution demanding her repatriation.

Pakistan’s prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, said, “‘We all are united, and we want the daughter of the nation to come back to Pakistan.” Defending his government’s failed efforts to secure her release before her sentencing, the prime minister said that he had already made the case to American officials that they should do so “to improve the U.S. image in Pakistan.”

He added, “I fought for her, my lawyer fought for her, and now I will take up this matter on a political level.”

Before her capture in Afghanistan in 2008, Ms. Siddiqui was described as a “Qaeda operative and facilitator,” by Robert S. Mueller III, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After she was detained, she grabbed a rifle and shot at her interrogators. Many Pakistanis believe that this outburst came after she had been tortured, and that she might have been held in secret by United States forces for several years before the shooting. The United States government has denied these claims.

This bit of student theater, which dramatizes the theory that Ms. Siddiqui is an innocent victim of American torture, torn from her children, was presented at a school in Pakistan’s Punjab province in July:


Pakistan’s Express Tribune reported that a Foreign Ministry spokesman said, “We are disappointed and saddened by the sentence, but the government has not given up.”

The newspaper also noted that the country’s interior minister, Rehman Malik, said that the government would eventually succeed in bringing Ms. Siddiqui home.

Nawaz Sharif, an opposition leader and former prime minister, told Ms. Siddiqui’s family in Karachi that he had raised the issue of her release in a meeting with American’s special representative to the region, Richard Holbrooke.

In addition to calls from Islamist leaders, who asked the government to liberate Ms. Siddiqui from the “grip of the oppressors,” politicians from more mainstream Pakistani parties took to the airwaves to criticize the government for its handling of the case.

Pakistan Floods: They Are Not Over Yet

Donor fatigue kicks in after a week or two of any natural disaster. It is a very natural process as things move very quickly on the world stage. People forget about a godforsaken place as a disaster unfolds in some other corner of the world. The best antidote to this lassitude is a relentless media campaign. And that's what is missing in the Pakistan floods.

While the coverage had been pervasive during the first two weeks, it has taken a backstage in recent days. Google News search for 'Lady Gaga' returned 20,200 results whereas 'Pakistan Floods' had a return of 12,300. True that news is still published but mostly in the back pages thus diminishing their chance of being read by people -- and reducing any chances of further donations. One cannot blame the news writers and layout editors as other -- and more important -- news has taken center stage. Nevertheless, a little more highlighting will be good for the millions of victims.

More coverage is needed because the floods have not subsided yet. Manchar Lake, the largest fresh water lake in South Asia, is expected to burst its banks, thus causing more damage in the already ravaged Sindh province. This will uproot hundreds of thousands of people and thus create more problems for the flood managers of Pakistan.

There is also a perception that the devastation has not been extensive in Pakistan. People are not to blame for this. One unconsciously evaluates a disaster by looking at the death toll, which has remained rather low for Pakistan with around 1,800 deaths. Many are also not aware of the river floods that are devastating but slow moving. They are not like the tsunami that destroys everything in its path but recedes within a few hours. They affect far greater areas and work like slow poison, killing everything in their path but without making much of a noise. Lives were saved as evacuations were ordered but people lost their livestock and crops -- their only livelihood in the dirt poor rural areas of Pakistan.

Compassion is thus still needed because the first phase of flooding is not over. As for the rehabilitation, Pakistan is stretching its muscles and the IMF has already extended a helping hand. The Pakistani government is intent on accepting this loan despite the fact that they can generate their own resources for the rehabilitation process. The country has a poor taxation system and the lack of land reforms has crippled the governance. Global donors should also scale back their grants or loans for the rehab process as that's not a right thing to do.

It is, however, still the first stage. And it requires global attention to save lives.

Pakistan Floods: Rainfall Sweeping South

Thousands of people are fleeing their homes in southern Pakistan amid fears the region could experience devastation similar to that seen in the north.
Many residents are camped out on roads, bridges and railway tracks in the districts of Punjab and Sindh.
Canals in Muzaffargarh, in Sindh province, have been breached, allowing more water to flow in.
Water levels at the Sukkur Barrage, also in Sindh, are at a dangerous point, with the flow recorded at 1.4m cubic metres a second.
The structure can only cope with 900,000 cubic metres a second.
It is now estimated 1,600 people have been killed in the floods - the worst in Pakistan's history.
Landslides triggered by fresh rainfall are hampering efforts across the country to help the 15m people affected.
Parts of the Swat valley have been cut off and poor weather is making it difficult for aid workers to deliver food.
Some are walking or using donkeys to reach those in need of support.
Meanwhile, the UN says the country will need billions of dollars in aid to recover.
Martin Mogwanja, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Pakistan, said operations need "to be massively scaled up".
"Shelter, plastic sheeting and household goods are the most important gap. Stocks need to be urgently airlifted to the affected areas," he said.

The Disasters and Emergency Committee (DEC) has set up an appeal to raise money, and has received £2.5m in donations so far.
Pakistan's government has faced intense criticism of its response to the disaster, and Islamist organisations have established aid operations in many parts of the country.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa, an organisation which has links to the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, has stepped in.
It has batted aside its connections with LeT and allegations that it is seeking to influence the people it is helping.
"We don't have any political agenda, our work is totally humanitarian," said spokesman Yahya Mujahid.
Many of those affected appear to be grateful for their presence.
Gul Mohammad Khan, a retired policeman in Isa Khel, said: "For us they're angels. We don't care who they are or what their agenda is.
"We were in crisis and they were the first to help. That's it."
: : Donations can be made by calling 03706 060 900 or by visiting the committee's website at dec.org.uk.

پاکستان، کب اور کیسے طیارے تباہ ہوئے

بدھ کو پاکستانی دارالحکومت اسلام آباد میں پیش آنے والا حادثہ پاکستان میں چار سال بعد کسی مسافر طیارے کا حادثہ تھا۔

اس حادثے میں پاکستانی سرزمین پر پہلی مرتبہ کسی نجی پاکستانی کمپنی کا مسافر طیارہ تباہ ہوا ہے۔

اس سے قبل ہونے والے تمام حادثوں میں سرکاری ہوائی کمپنی پاکستان انٹرنیشنل ائیر لائن کے طیارے ہی تباہ ہوئے جن میں پاکستانی سرزمین پر محض فوکر طیارے ہی حادثوں کا شکار ہوئے۔

پاکستان میں مسافر طیاروں کی تاریخ میں دارالحکومت کی حدود میں پیش آنے والا یہ تیسرا حادثہ تھا۔

اس سے قبل دس جولائی سنہ دو ہزار چھ میں پاکستان انٹرنیشنل ائر لائن کا فوکر طیارہ ملتان ائیر پورٹ سے اڑتے ہی حادثے کا شکار ہو گیا تھا جس میں پینتالیس افراد ہلاک ہوئے۔

ملتان حادثے کے بعد پاکستان انٹرنیشنل ائیر لائن نے فوکر طیاروں کا استعمال ترک کر دیا تھا۔

فروری سنہ دو ہزار تین میں پاکستان ائیر فورس کے سربراہ مصحف علی میر فوکر طیارے کے حادثے میں سترہ افسران سمیت ہلاک ہوگئے تھے۔

انیس سو نواسی میں گلگت میں بھی ایک فوکر طیارہ چّون مسافروں سمیت لاپتہ ہوگیا تھا جس کا آج تک کوئی نام و نشان نہیں ملا۔

انیس سو چھیاسی میں پشاور میں ایک فوکر طیارہ گرا تھا جس میں تیرہ افراد ہلاک ہوئے تھے۔

پاکستان میں پی آئی اے کے زیرِاستعمال فوکر طیارے کا پہلا حادثہ انیس سو ستر میں پیش آیا جس میں تیس مسافر ہلاک ہوگئے تھے۔

دوسرا حادثہ انیس سو بہتر میں پیش آیا اور اس میں چھبیس افراد ہلاک ہوئے۔ یہ دونوں حادثے راولپنڈی / اسلام آباد میں پیش آئے۔

Pakistanis blame U.S. after shrine attack kills 42

Lahore — The Associated Press
Published on Friday, Jul. 02, 2010
.....................

Suicide attacks on popular Sufi shrine leave dozens dead, nearly 200 wounded

Pakistanis lashed out Friday at the U.S., blaming its alliance with their government and its presence in Afghanistan for spurring two suicide bombers to kill 42 people at the country's most important Sufi shrine.

The reactions showed the challenge facing Washington and the Pakistani government when it comes to rallying public support against the Islamist extremism that has scarred the South Asian nation, even after an audacious attack on the moderate, Sufi-influenced Islam most Pakistanis practice.

Thousands of people had gathered late Thursday at the green-domed Data Darbar shrine in Lahore when bombs went off minutes apart. The blasts ripped concrete from the walls and left the white marble floor awash with blood. There was no claim of responsibility, but Islamist extremists consider Sufism — a mystical strand of Islam — to be heretical.

But on Friday, few Pakistanis interviewed saw militants at the root of the problem.

“America is killing Muslims in Afghanistan and in our tribal areas (with missile strikes), and militants are attacking Pakistan to express anger against the government for supporting America,” said Zahid Umar, 25, who frequently visits the shrine, where 180 people were also wounded.

Pakistanis are suffering because of American policies and aggression in the region, said Mohammed Asif, 34, who runs an auto workshop in Lahore. He and others said the attacks would end if the U.S. would pull out of Afghanistan.

Several other Pakistanis interviewed blamed the Ahmadis, a minority sect that has long faced discrimination in Pakistan. On May 28 in Lahore, gunmen and a suicide squad targeted two Ahmadi mosques, massacring at least 93 people, and some Pakistanis claimed the sect must have been seeking revenge.

Others cast about for additional villains — though America's hand was seen there, too.

Washington “is encouraging Indians and Jews to carry out attacks” in Pakistan, said Arifa Moen, 32, a teacher in the central city of Multan.

Pakistani officials condemned the bombings, using language they have frequently used to try to convince the population that the fight against militancy is not one they can ignore.

“Those who still pretend that we are not a nation at war are complicit in these deaths,” said Farahnaz Ispahani, a spokeswoman for Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

The U.S. Embassy issued a statement Friday condemning the attack and saying it “demonstrates the terrorists' blatant disregard for the lives of the Pakistani people and the future of this country.”

The targeted shrine is that of Data Ganj Bakhsh Hajveri, who lived hundreds of years ago and traveled throughout the region spreading a message of peace and love. He eventually settled in the Lahore area, and his shrine is the most revered and most popular of Sufi shrines in the nation.

Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, is a key military, political and cultural hub. The city has witnessed several audacious attacks on diverse targets over the past two years, from crowded markets to Sri Lanka's cricket team.

The Pakistani government has been accused of lacking the will to crack down on militants in Punjab, the country's most populous and most powerful region. Many of the militants are part of now-banned groups launched with government support in the 1980s and ‘90s to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan and pressure archenemy India.

Some recent attacks in Punjab have been blamed on the “Punjabi Taliban.” The group is a relatively new network of al-Qaeda-linked militants who have split off from other local insurgent groups but also has ties to the Pakistani Taliban, which has its bases in the northwest tribal regions.

The suicide bombings have fueled anger against Pakistan's weak police forces, who appear helpless to stop the killings. In the hours after Thursday's bombings, demonstrators gathered outside the shrine to protest the security lapse, only to be dispersed after police fired into the air and threw rocks at them.

Senior Lahore government official Khusro Pervez said recent intelligence alerts about possible attacks lacked details.

“The intelligence agencies alerted us that terrorists could target prominent places, shrines and mosques in Lahore. They mentioned names of major places as a possible target, but no specific information was available to us,” he said.

Also Friday, militants attacked a security checkpoint on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing three officers, said Safwat Ghayur, a regional commander of the Frontier Constabulary security force.

He said officers returned fire and killed some of the attackers.

سخت سکیورٹی میں خود کش حملے کا معمہ

عبادالحق

بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، لاہور

داتا دربار پر ہونے والے خودکش حملوں کے زخمیوں اور عینی شاہدین نے اس بات کا تعجب کا اظہار کیا ہے کہ کڑے حفاظتی انتظامات کیے گئے تھے لیکن یہ بات سمجھ سے بالاتر ہے کہ حملہ آور انتی سخت سکیورٹی کے باوجود دربار کے اندر داخل ہونے میں کیسے کامیاب ہوگئے۔

بی بی سی سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے زخمیوں اور عینی شاہدین یہ وہ سوال اٹھایا کہ ہے آخر اتنی سکیورٹی کا بندوبست ہونے کے باوجود خودکش حملہ آور کس طرح دربار کے اندر داخل ہوئے۔ ان کا کہنا ہے کہ ان کے لیے یہ بات حیران کن ہے کیونکہ دربار پر آنے والوں کی ہر شخص کی چیکنگ ہوتی ہے اور تین تین مرتبہ تلاشی کے بعد اسے دربار میں داخل ہونے کی اجازت دی جاتی ہے اسی صورت حال میں حملے آور کیسے اندر گئے اور انہیں کیوں نہ پکڑا گیا۔

میو ہسپتال میں زیر علاج ایک زخمی محمد اسلم نے بتایا کہ پہلا دھماکہ دربار کے تہہ خانے میں ہوا جس کے بعد یہ اعلان کیا گیا کہ کوئی بم دھماکہ نہیں ہوا بلکہ جنریٹر پھٹ گیا ہے اور اسی کے پھٹنے کی آواز آئی ہے۔ ان کے بقول ٹھیک پانچ منٹ کے بعد دوسرا دھماکہ ہوا اور پھر کچھ نظر نہیں آیا اور ہر طرف دھواں ہی دھواں تھا۔

محمد اسلم کا کہنا ہے کہ وہ زخمی حالت میں دربار سے باہر آئے اور ایک موٹر سائیکل سوار سے لفٹ لے کر ہسپتال پہنچے ہیں۔

انہوں نے اس بات پر حیرانگی کا اظہار کیا کہ کڑے حفاظتی انتظامات کے باوجود حملہ آور اندر کیسے داخل ہوئے اور وہاں معتین سکیورٹی اہلکار کیا کرتے رہے ہیں۔

رفاقت علی داتا دربار میں ہونے والے دھماکوں کے نتیجے میں زخمی ہوئے اور ان کا کہنا ہے کہ جب پہلا دھماکہ ہوا تو لوگوں نے بھاگنا شروع کردیا لیکن جو اعلان کیے گئے اس کے بعد لوگوں رک گئے لیکن اسی دوران پھر دھماکہ ہوا اور کچھ پتہ نہیں چلا۔ان کے بقول لوگ فضا میں اچھلے ہیں اور پھر لاشیں ہی لاشیں تھیں۔

رفاقت علی نے بتایا کہ دھماکہ میں ان کے ایک چھوٹا بھتیجا بھی زخمی ہوا جبکہ ان کا بھائی بھی دھماکہ کے وقت ان کے ساتھ دربار میں موجود تھا لیکن اب انہیں اپنے بھائی کے بارے میں کوئی علم نہیں ہے کہ ان کا بھائی کہاں ہے۔ انہوں نے بتایا کہ دربار پر سکیورٹی کا کڑا بندوبست کیا گیا اور ایک ہی دروازہ کھلا تھا معلوم نہیں کہ حملے کس طرح دربار کے اندر پہنچا۔

محمد ندیم کا کہنا ہے کہ وہ دھماکہ کی جگہ سے تیس سے چالیس قدم دور تھے اور جیسے ہی پہلے دھماکے کی آواز آئی تو ساتھ یہ اعلان کیا گیا کہ جنریٹر پھٹ گیا ہے جس سے لوگوں مطمن ہوگئے لیکن اس کے بعد جو دھماکے ہوئے اسے ہر طرف انسانی اعضاء بکھر گئے اور خون کی ندی بہہ گئی۔

انہوں نے بتایا کہ دربار پر اچھے خاصے حفاظتی انتظامات تھے اور تین تین مرتبہ تلاشی لی جارہی تھی لیکن ان کے بقول یہ سوال اپنی جگہ موجود ہے کہ اتنی سخت چیکنگ کے باوجود حملہ آور دربار کے اندر کیسے داخل ہونے میں کامیاب ہوگئے۔

طارق نظامی جن کے جسم پر شدید زخمی آئے ہیں انہوں نے بتایاکہ پہلے دھماکے کے بعد لوگوں نے جب بھاگنا شروع کیا تو اس اعلان کے بعد لوگ مطمن ہوگئے کہ دھماکہ نہیں ہوا بلکہ جنریٹر پھٹا ہے لیکن جیسے ہی لوگ دوبارہ بیٹھے ہیں تو پھر دھماکہ ہوا اور پھر کوئی ہوش نہ رہی ۔ انہوں نے بتایا کہ انہوں نے اپنے موبائل فون سے گھر والوں کو دھماکے میں اپنے زخمی ہونے کی اطلاع دی جس کے بعد ان کے گھروالوں نے انہیں ہسپتال سے پہنچایا ۔طارق نظامی نے بھی اس بات پر حیرت کا اظہار کیا کہ انتی سکیورٹی کے باوجود اس قسم کا واقعہ کیسے ہوگیا ہے۔

انیس سالہ عبدالرزاق نے بتایا کہ دربار پر دعا مانگنے کے بعد وہ وہاں پر بیٹھ گیا اور اسی دوران زور دار آواز سنائی دی اور اسے ایسا لگ کہ کوئی سلنڈر پھٹ گیا ہے لیکن پھر یکے بعد دیگرے دو دھماکے ہوئے اور ہر طرف لاشیں تھی اور زخمیوں کی چیخ و پکار کے علاوہ کچھ نہیں تھا۔

Deadly blasts hit Pakistan shrine

ANALYSIS

Syed Shoaib Hasan,
BBC News, Karachi

Although no-one has yet said they carried out the attack, Taliban militants and their Punjabi jihadi allies have been involved in several such bombings in the northern Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province.

The shrine is largely frequented by members of the majority Barelvi sect, who are seen as heretics by the Taliban.

Most of the Taliban belong to the rival Deoband Sunni sect, which strongly disapproves of worship at shrines.

Many are also allied to the Sipah-e-Sahaba, and its armed splinter group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which seeks to turn Pakistan into a Deoband Sunni state.

History of attacks

BIG MILITANT ATTACKS

• 28 May 2010 - 93 people killed in attacks on two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore
• 19 Apr 2010 - At least 23 die in suicide bombing at market in Peshawar
• 1 Jan 2010 - A bomb at a volleyball match kills about 100
• 28 Oct 2009 - At least 120 die in car bomb attack on packed market in Peshawar
• 15 Oct 2009 - About 40 die in a series of gun and bomb attacks
• 9 Oct 2009 - At least 50 die in Peshawar suicide blast

Lahore has been hit by a series of bomb attacks, including a suicide blast at anti-terrorist offices in March, when at least 13 people died.

In May, more than 90 people were killed in a double attack on the minority Ahmadi sect in the city.

Earlier, security chiefs had been congratulating themselves after what was the first month in two years in which there had been no suicide bombings in Pakistan, the BBC's Aleem Maqbool reports from Islamabad.

They said it was proof the militant networks had been disrupted. Most Pakistanis knew the battle against militancy in this country was far from over, he adds.

Last year Pakistan launched a major military offensive against militant strongholds in South Waziristan.

In December the military said they had achieved victory, but subsequent reports have suggested the militants remain active in the region.