A suicide bomber today struck a religious gathering of the Shia community killing at least 30 people and injuring nearly 200 others in the town of Chakwal in Punjab province, hours after security forces were targetted near UN office in the heart of the federal capital.

The suicide attacker detonated his explosives near the gate of an Imambargah or prayer hall in Chakwal, some 90 kilometers south of Islamabad, when he was barred from entering the complex by persons guarding the entrance.