Blasts rock Pakistan university, 4 Dead

At least four people have been killed and 18 wounded in bomb explosions at a university in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, officials say.

One unconfirmed report says up to seven people died in the blasts at the International Islamic University, including two suicide bombers.

The attack is the first since the Pakistani army began its offensive against militants in South Waziristan.

Pakistan was hit by a wave of bombings in the days before the assault began.

Security has been stepped up in recent days, and many schools in Islamabad and other big cities were told to close for the week.

Police superintendent Abdul Ghafar Quaiserani said two suicide bombers struck at the International Islamic University at about the same time.

The blasts hit the women's cafeteria and the Islamic law department.

One student, who e-mailed BBC News, said gunfire had preceded the explosions:

"There were gunshots at first and then two explosions one after the other. One was just outside the gate of the girls' cafeteria and the other one targeted the head of the department for Sharia studies.

"I was near that office. Two of my friends were injured, they were taken to the hospital. I am in shock. Now we are not even safe in our universities."

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have condemned the blasts.

No group has as yet claimed responsibility.

The Associated Press says the International Islamic University was established on the outskirts of the city in the 1980s and has more than 12,000 students - nearly half of them women, many from abroad.