9 die in election rally blast in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- An explosion Friday at an election rally in Pakistan's violence-hit Swat Valley killed nine people including a relative of a political leader, a report said.

The attack in the northwest region, where pro-Taliban militants have been targeting mostly Pakistani security forces sent to reestablish control, also injured several people, the Press Trust of India reported.

Police said the blast went off near the venue of an election rally in Mingora, the scenic valley's district headquarters, which was being addressed by Asfandyar Amirzaib, a former provincial minister, the report said.

Amirzaib is a candidate in the Jan. 8 elections of a faction of the Pakistan Muslim League which supports President Pervez Musharraf.

The PTI report said he escaped unhurt but among those killed was his grandson. Police did not say if the attack was by a suicide bomber or whether the explosion set off by a remote-controlled device.