9 killed in blast at religious centre in northwest Pakistan

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Shahidullah Shahid denied his group was involved in the attack.

Police and a bomb disposal squad conducted a search and clearance operation, and an emergency was declared in hospitals across Peshawar.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam spokesman Maulana Jalil Jan said the bomb ripped through the worshippers.

The centre was sealed from four sides and the people inside were asked to leave. 

This is not the first time such a gathering has been attacked in the northwest.

A previous blast targeted people at a Tableeghi Jamaat centre in Swat, an erstwhile stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and provincial Chief Minister Pervez Khattak condemned the blast.