BAHAWALPUR, Dec 30: Two suspected suicide bombers were killed when their device went off prematurely in Haroonabad, some 200km away from here, on Sunday.

A police spokesman claimed that the obvious target of the suspected bombers was former minister Ijazul Haq. He said Mr Haq, a candidate for NA-191 (Bahawalnagar-IV), was on the hit list of terrorists.

The bomb detonated hardly 200 metres away from Vitale House, the residence of Tehsil Nazim Chaudhry Mohammad Yaseen, which was being used as an election office by the former minister. Mr Haq had gone to Islamabad on Saturday after suspending his election campaign because of the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

The bodies of the bombers, who were on a motorcycle, were blown into pieces.

Bahawalnagar District Police Officer Syed Zafar Abbas Bokhari said the explosion had damaged about 15 buildings.