Punjab’s Home Minister Shuja Khanzada has been killed in a suicide attack in the Pakistani province.
More than 15 people are also reported to have been died in the attack at Mr Khanzada’s office in District Attock, about 80km (50 miles) north-west of the capital, Islamabad.
According to initial reports, the roof of the provincial home minister’s office collapsed as a result of the huge explosion. Mr Khanzada was trapped under the debris along with 24 other people. The blast occurred at a time when a jirga was underway at the political office of Mr Khanzada in Shadi Khan village of Attock.
Mr Khanzada was seen as the man in charge of the anti-terror campaign in Pakistan’s biggest province.
A Sunni militant group with ties to al-Qaeda has said it ordered the attack.
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi said it was in response to last month’s killing of its leader, Malik Ishaq.
Shuja Khanzada is the most senior Pakistani politician to have been killed by militants this year.
The minister’s death is being seen as a significant blow to Pakistan’s recent gains in the fight against militancy and extremism, says the BBC’s Shahzeb Jillani in Islamabad.
Our correspondent says questions are being asked about his security as the home minister had reported threats made against him.
Mr Khanzada was meeting supporters in his hometown of Attock when a large bomb exploded, causing the roof to cave in, trapping dozens under the rubble.
Leading tributes to the home minister, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said: “The courage and valour of Shuja Khanzada is message to the masterminds of terrorists that they are bound to be defeated.”
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has been behind some of the most violent attacks in recent years.
The Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday has announced three days of mourning in the province over killing of Provincial Home Minister Shuja Khanzada. In a statement, Shahbaz said Shuja Khanzada’s death was a great loss for the country.