A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle to a security checkpost in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, leaving at least 15 people dead and several others injured.

The blast occurred near a check-post in Charsadda district of North West Frontier Province (NWFP), killing 15 people including nine policemen, private Geo TV channel quoted police sources as saying.

The emergency has been declared in the Charsadda hospital immediately after the blast.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack came the same day when the NWFP government issued a formal notification on enforcing Sharia, or Islamic law, in Malakand division of NWFP including the restive Swat valley.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari signed the regulation introducing Sharia into the northwestern area on Monday night after passage of a resolution by the parliament.

The NWFP government and local militants had reached a peace deal in February, agreeing that Islamic law would be enforced in Swat in return for peace.

(Xinhua News Agency April 16, 2009)