5 injured in blast outside Pak court

Five persons were injured in a bomb blast on Thursday near an anti-terrorism court in the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta, police said.

The bomb, believed to have been attached to a bicycle, went off as lawyers were holding a meeting to express solidarity with deposed Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

The injured were rushed to Quetta's Civil Hospital, officials said.

Police cordoned off the stand where the bicycle with the bomb had been kept and a bomb disposal squad swept the area to search for explosive devices.

Police also removed other bicycles, cars and other vehicles parked in the area.

Lawyers across Pakistan are observing Thursday as 'Iftikhar Day' to express solidarity with the deposed chief justice, who has been confined to his official residence in Islamabad since he was sacked by President Pervez Musharraf in November 2007.