Suspected suicide attack kills six in Pakistan

An independent candidate, Nisar Ali Khan, contesting for aNational Assembly seat in the region escaped unhurt, but nineof his supporters were wounded in the attack near Mir Ali, atown frequented by Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.

"We were having a meeting at a roadside place with Nisarand his supporters when the explosion occurred," said HajiNakim Khan, a tribal leader, who was among the wounded.

"We found severed legs at the site of attack, so we thinkit was a suicide attack."

Though independent, Khan was aligned to the Awami NationalParty (ANP), a secular party representing ethnic Pashtuns inNorth West Frontier Province.

There was no immediate official confirmation of theincident, which came two days after another suicide bomberkilled 16 people and wounded 25 at an ANP election rally in thenorthwestern town of Charsadda.

Violence has intensified in Pakistan in the run-up to anelection that was due to be held on January 8, but was delayeduntil February 18 after the assassination of opposition leaderBenazir Bhutto in gun and suicide bomb attack on December 27.

More than 400 people have been killed in clashes betweentroops and militants and bomb and suicide attacks since thestart of the year, raising security fears in the nuclear-armedcountry.

The government has blamed an al Qaeda-linked militantleader, Baitullah Mehsud, who is based in South Waziristan, forthe attack on Bhutto and many other attacks across the country.

(Reporting by Alamgir Bitani; Writing by Augustine Anthony;Editing by Simon-Cameron Moore and Alex Richardson)