Two Rush-Hour Blasts Kill at Least 24 in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 4 -- A pair of explosions during rush hour early Tuesday killed at least 24 people and injured scores more in the city of Rawalpindi, home to Pakistan's military.

One of the bombs struck a bus apparently carrying government employees, and the other exploded in a busy market area near the nation's military headquarters. Such attacks are highly unusual in Rawalpindi, which is one of Pakistan's largest cities, and also one of its most secure because of the heavy presence of security personnel.

The bus blast seemed to be the more deadly of the two, with the vehicle all but destroyed, according to witnesses. Officials said the bus was owned by the army.

Authorities could not immediately say whether the blasts came because of suicide bombers or planted explosives. Witnesses said they saw an explosives-laden motorcycle blow up in one strike.

Suicide bombings in recent months have been a favored tactic of insurgents, who carried out a string of deadly attacks in July following a government raid on the pro-Taliban Red Mosque in Islamabad.

The collapse of a pair of cease-fires in the semiautonomous tribal areas of North and South Waziristan have also led to an escalation in violence, much of it targeted at the nation's military. Last week, the Taliban captured a convoy of military vehicles carrying nearly 300 soldiers in South Waziristan. The soldiers are still being held, despite government efforts to free them.

The blasts come during a period of intense political turmoil in Pakistan. The president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, is set to face reelection later this month, but his popularity has fallen precipitously this year and his ability to cling to power is in doubt.

Musharraf has been in negotiations with a political rival, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, about the possibility of a power-sharing deal. If the deal does not go through, Musharraf is expected to face a difficult path to winning another five-year term, with political opponents and legal challenges standing in his way.

Last month, Musharraf's government came close to declaring a state of emergency in Pakistan, but backed down under domestic and international pressure. His aides have said the option has not been ruled out for the future.