At least 12 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a lawyers rally in Islamabad, Pakistani police say.

Ousted chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was due to address the rally in the capital, but was not present at the time of the attack, officials said.

Television footage showed blood at the scene of the bombing and several people lying motionless on the ground.

The attack appears to have been aimed at supporters of Mr Chaudhry, rather than at the judge himself.

He has been at the centre of growing anti-government protests ever since President Pervez Musharraf suspended him in March.

Mr Chaudhry denies allegations that he misused his office. He and his supporters say the charges are politically motivated.

Protests

Correspondents have described a scene of chaos at the site of the attack near the Supreme Court, with ambulances rushing to the scene.

Some reports have put the death toll higher. A number of people were also injured.

Witnesses said the bomber struck near where supporters of the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of Benazir Bhutto had gathered for the rally.

Police said Mr Chaudhry was several kilometres away when the blast occurred.

The BBC's Dan Isaacs in Islamabad says it is far from clear what the motive might have been for a suicide attack on the rally of lawyers.

At recent talks in London, the PPP distanced itself from the alliance of Islamic parties who also oppose President Musharraf.

The PPP also backed the security forces' decision last week to storm the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad where hard-line clerics and militants had waged a campaign for a strict Sharia law in recent months.

In recent days, dozens of people have been killed in a spate of bombings in north-west Pakistan carried out by pro-Taleban militants opposed to Gen Musharraf.

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Pakistan bombing