Police officer Hamid Shakil said the bomb appeared to have been detonated Monday by a timing device. — File photo

QUETTA: A car bomb exploded near a women's college Quetta, killing one person and wounding 12 others.

Four of the wounded were in a critical condition. Moreover, four shops were destroyed as a result of the blast.

Police officer Hamid Shakil said the bomb appeared to have been detonated Monday by a timing device. The car was parked near a women's college in the capital of Balochistan province.

Shakil did not say who was suspected of carrying out the attack nor did he indicate the target.

Balochistan has experienced frequent attacks by nationalists who demand a greater share of the province's natural resource wealth but car bomb attacks are rare.

The province, which borders Afghanistan, is also widely believed to be home for many Afghan Taliban militants, including the group's leader, Mullah Omar.