Shuja Khanzada, Pakistan's Punjab province Home Minister, was assassinated after a suicide bomber blew himself at his house in Attock district on Sunday. He was among the 10 people, who where killed in the suicide attack, Pakistan's Geo.TV reported.
The impact of the suicide attack was so intense that it even shattered windows of the neighbouring houses. Rescue teams are trying to retrieve the people trapped under the building, PTI reported.
At the time of the attack, Khanzada, a former Pakistan army colonel, was holding a meeting with local public at his house in Shadi Khel, some 100 kms from Islamabad.
"The hall of the building where the meeting was underway collapsed in the blast and over three-dozen people including the minister were trapped in the rubble," Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters.
Salman Rafiq, provincial health adviser for Punjab, confirmed to Reuters that Khanzada was among the dead. Till now, five bodies have been recovered from the rubble.
The suicide bomber managed to enter the building despite high-security. A Taliban-affiliated militant group, Lashkar-e-Islam, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was a retaliation for military operations against them.
Khanzada was sworn-in as the Home Minister in October 2014 and has been actively involved in major operations against terror outfits in the province. The death of Al-Qaeda Pakistan chief and his accomplices - killed in an operation at the outskirts of Lahore, were announced recently by Khanzada.
