Taliban-supporting politician had just passed checkpoint when bomber struck, killing 13 people and wounding 12 others
A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle has attacked a police checkpoint in north-western Pakistan, striking as a crowd gathered to greet a prominent hardline Islamist politician and killing 13 people, police said.
It was unclear if the bomber specifically targeted the supporters of politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman or if they just happened to be there when he hit the checkpoint.
Rehman has been an outspoken supporter of the Afghan Taliban, but some militants in Pakistan have shown a willingness to attack anyone connected to the government.
The bomber detonated his explosives just outside the checkpoint when a policeman told him to halt, said Saeed Khan, a police official in Peshawar.
The blast killed the policeman and 12 other civilians nearby, said Khan. Another 12 people were wounded.
The attack occurred in Swabi town, located some 44 miles (70km) outside the capital Islamabad.
Rehman, the leader of the Jamiat Ulema Islam party, passed through the checkpoint only minutes before the bomber struck and was unharmed, said Khan.
He had been travelling to the town of Charsadda to address a public gathering.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.