34 killed in Pakistan blast

Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber killed 34 people outside a bank in Rawalpindi city. The attack took place as the government announced a reward for information leading to the capture of the Pakistani Taliban leader.

Pakistan has called for regional cooperation to eliminate terrorists. Pakistani Foreign Affairs Minister Shah Qureshi says terrorists had been obtaining money through illegal ways such as drug smuggling to finance their activities. Those could not be curbed by Pakistan alone.

Monday's attack took place in Rawalpindi, a garrison city near Islamabad, as people waited outside the National Bank on pay day to collect their salaries.

Eyewitness Mohammad Saleem said, "We were going to the bank to get our salary, and I was standing nearby when suddenly a blast occurred near the gate. I ran out from the building with great difficulty and saw so many dead bodies."

The bank is close to the army's headquarters, and the dead include military personnel. Some 45 others were wounded.

Pakistan has announced rewards of up to five million US dollars for information leading to the capture of Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud and more than a dozen other leaders.

Pakistan's leaders condemned the blast but vowed to continue the offensive against Taliban in South Waziristan.

Pakistani troops are said to be zeroing in on two major Taliban bases, and have taken full control of a town that was formerly a key Taliban operations center in the region.