Among those killed were Pakistani police officers who were deployed near a rally protesting last year's army raid at the Red Mosque or Lal Masjid, according to the television report.

Earlier Sunday, thousands of Islamists gathered near the mosque to mark the first anniversary of the raid, ordered by President Pervez Musharraf, who was Pakistan's army chief at the time.

More than 100 people were apparently killed when government security forces stormed the mosque complex on July 10 last year, ending a weeklong bloody standoff between military forces and Islamic extremists.