A bomb exploded in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Wednesday,
killing a provincial politician shortly after the top U.S. envoy to the
region, Richard Holbrooke, arrived in the city.
Awami Party lawmaker Alam Zeb Khan died after the bomb, hidden in a
motorcycle, was remotely detonated near his car as it drove through
Peshawar. At least six other people were wounded.
Mr. Holbrooke met with military leaders in the city near the Afghan
border, a frequent site of militant attacks. He arrived in Pakistan
Monday and held talks Tuesday with top government leaders about reining
in the country's growing extremist movement and rooting out terrorist
bases in Pakistan's tribal areas.
Holbrooke, U.S. President Barack Obama's newly appointed assistant
secretary of state for South Asia, also is due to visit Afghanistan and
India this week.
In another sign of Mr. Obama's focus on the region, the president spoke
via telephone with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday
for the first time since taking over the White House last month. The
two leaders agreed to find new ways to resolve issues plaguing South
Asia.