Ten hurt in bicycle blast in Pakistan's southwest

ISLAMABAD, Dec 20 (Reuters) A bomb attached to a bicycle exploded today in southwestern Pakistan where tribal militants are fighting for more autonomy, wounding ten people, two of them seriously, police said.

The bomb was strapped to the bike parked in the parking lot next to a police station in Quetta, capital of the province of Baluchistan.

''Ten people have been wounded. Two of them are women while two injured men are in serious condition,'' Qazi Abdul Wahid, a senior police official told Reuters.

He did not say who was behind the blast but authorities have blamed nationalist militants, who have been waging a low-key insurgency for decades in Baluchistan, for such attacks in the past.

Baluchistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is Pakistan's biggest but poorest province and its main source of natural gas.

The autonomy-seeking militants accuse the central government of exploiting their province's resources without sharing the benefits among its people.

The rebels frequently target official buildings, military installations, road and rail links, power lines and gas pipelines.

A pro-government tribal leader was killed yesterday in a landmine explosion in Dera Bugti district, about 250 km southeast of Quetta.

As part of efforts to end the insurgency, President Pervez Musharraf has promised to develop the province of sparely populated deserts and mountains.

He has also announced an amnesty for militants who surrender and has appealed to tribal leaders to help with law and order.

Reuters SY DB2138