Pakistan bazaar blast kills nine

A devastating explosion in a crowded market in northwestern Pakistan has killed at least nine people, including two traffic police officers and a woman.

The blast, caused by a bomb rigged to a rickshaw in the Lakki Marwat district, left more than 30 others wounded and caused extensive damage to nearby shops.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred in a region increasingly destabilized by militant activity near the Afghan border.

The incident has raised fears of renewed regional instability and potential cross-border tensions with Afghanistan.