At least eight policemen have been killed and more than 20 people injured in a suicide bomb attack in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, officials say.
The blast occurred in front of a police station near the city's Melody Market.
It came on the first anniversary of the bloody ending of a siege at the city's Red Mosque, in which more than 100 people were killed during fighting.
President Pervez Musharraf condemned the attack and reiterated the government's commitment to root out terrorism in "all its forms and manifestations".
There are conflicting reports regarding the death toll, with some officials saying as many as 15 policemen may have been killed in the blast.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the death toll may yet rise from eight killed.
"It might change because at the moment [the victims] are in hospital, some are critical and all the possible medical aid is being provided."
Security had been tight because of fears of an attack at a rally near the mosque, which is also known as Lal Masjid, where several thousand Islamists had gathered to mark the anniversary.
"The blast happened 15 minutes after the meeting dispersed. A heavy contingent of police was at a main crossing several hundred metres from the mosque and they were targeted in the attack," a senior security official told the AFP news agency.
The bomber managed to conceal explosives under his clothes and get into the secure area, said Mr Malik.
"And from... the outer cordon [of security], where the police force was, there were about 25 officials there, and while people were walking, one of the guys just rushed and blew his suicide jacket," he added.
Blood and body parts covered the streets of this residential neighbourhood as terrified people came running out of their houses,In Islamabad.
