Suicide blasts in Pakistan's Lahore kill 45

"Two suicide bombers attacked within the span of 15 to 20 seconds and they were on foot," provincial police chief Tariq Saleem Dogar told reporters.

Those killed in the attack, the bloodiest this year, in a military neighborhood of the city near the border with India included nine soldiers, military officials said. Almost 100 people were wounded.

Pakistani authorities have said security crackdowns have weakened Al-Qaeda-linked Taleban militants fighting to topple the US-backed government.

But the Taleban have renewed pressure on unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari, who faces calls from opponents to hand over his strongest powers to the prime minister.

If that does not happen, Pakistan could face new political turmoil while being pressed to defeat the Taleban.

There have been five blasts this week alone, including a car bomb suicide attack on a police intelligence building in Lahore on Monday that killed 13 people, and a shooting and bombing at a US-based aid agency that killed 6 in the northwest; Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version.