Pakistani authorities say at least 12 people were killed Thursday in two separate attacks in the country's volatile northwest.

Local police said that in the first attack in the Lakki Marwat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, a suicide car bomber blew himself up as he approached a police station. The blast killed the bomber and at least four civilians and wounded more than 25 others, including several policemen.

The explosion also damaged scores of nearby shops and houses.

In the second incident in Kurram tribal agency, gunmen opened fire on a minibus killing seven Shi'ite Muslims. The victims include several members of the same family.

While no one has claimed responsibility for the ambush, local officials say they suspect it was a sectarian attack targeting Pakistan's Shi'ite minority.

The attacks coincide with Eid al-Fitr, the three-day Muslim festival celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan.