Police stand near a damaged vehicle at the site of a bomb attack in Peshawar May 8, 2011. – Reuters

PESHAWAR: A bomb exploded Sunday outside the home of a provincial minister in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, with initial reports saying three people were wounded, police said.

The bomb detonated near the residence of agriculture minister Arbab Ayub Jan, who said the explosion took place just after visitors to his house had left by car. Three of the guests were injured.

“It was a remote-controlled device planted under a billboard near my house,” Jan told AFP by telephone.

“Perhaps those responsible thought I was in the car.”

Senior police officer Mohammad Ejaz told AFP, “We have rushed teams to find out details. Initial reports say that three people were wounded.”

The minister belongs to the secular Awami National Party (ANP) whose leaders have in the past been the targets of militant attacks. The ANP leads the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the capital.

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