11 die in bomb blasts in Pakistan, after Friday prayers: 100 injured

In Pakistan, an anti-Taliban cleric and at least 11 were killed and nearly 100 injured in two different suicide bomb attacks on Friday, in Nowshera city and Lahore.
Maulana Sarfraz Naeemi, a leading cleric who played a key role in issuing a fatwa that declared suicide bombings as un-Islamic, was killed along with three persons when a suicide attacker targeted the compound of the Jamia Naeemia organisation in Lahore.
The attack took place shortly after the end of Friday prayers. Reports say the bomber rushed through a large number of people leaving the mosque and barged into Naeemi's office, and detonated the explosives.
Naeemi sustained serious injuries and reportedly died in a nearby hospital. At least a dozen people were also injured in the attack.
In Nowshera, at least six persons were killed and 25 injured when a suicide car bomber targeted a mosque inside an army supply depot. The blast also damaged nearby houses and cars parked there.
In another brazen attack in Peshawar, car-borne militants sprayed the heavily-guarded house of Lt Gen Masood Aslam, the army commander heading the military offensive against Taliban, with gunfire triggering a gun battle that left two militants dead and two persons wounded.
Cities across Pakistan, especially in the North West Frontier Province, have witnessed a wave of bombings and suicide attacks since the army launched operations against the Taliban in Swat and nearby districts.

Pakistan President, Mr. Asif Ali ZardariAsif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Mr. Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani have strongly condemned the suicide attacks and ordered immediate inquiries in both incidents. They expressed deep sorrow over the death of Maulana Sarfraz Naeemi and other innocent people. The Prime Minister said such attacks could not shatter the determination of the Government in its pursuit against the elimination of the scourge of terrorism.