City police chief Pervaiz Rathor confirmed that a bomb exploded Monday but had no information on casualties. TV news channels are reporting at least 15 people were hurt.

Mohammad Saeed, a police constable, told Geo TV he saw a car approach the checkpoint and then explode. He added: "It was horrible."

The Lahore blast came hours after a suicide bomber killed 35 people outside a bank in the city of Rawalpindi.

Suspected militants have struck repeatedly in the past month, killing more than 300 people in apparent retaliation for an army offensive in a Taliban stronghold.