At least eight people have been killed in a car bomb attack near the Danish embassy in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, according to reports.
More than a dozen people were wounded in the midday blast (0600 GMT).
TV pictures showed extensive damage to the embassy building and several vehicles outside, and a large crater left behind by the blast.
It was not clear who carried out the attack, as Pakistan's main militant group recently declared a ceasefire.
Pakistan's top Taleban warlord Baitullah Mehsud is in peace talks with the authorities in an attempt to end fighting in the country's north-west.
 |  It was like I was stuck between two speeding cars or between two moving trains - my door which was half-open slammed shut, everything moved  Asim Mukhtar, witness |
Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said the attack was "totally unacceptable".
"I of course condemn this attack. It is terrible that terrorists commit such acts," he told Danish TV.
Some Danish embassies around the world have been threatened since a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad was reprinted in Danish newspapers in February.
The cartoons, deemed offensive to Islam, led to worldwide protests when they were first printed in September 2005.
The attack was the first in Islamabad since a 15 March attack on an Italian restaurant frequented by foreigners killed a Turkish woman and wounded 10 other foreigners.
'Immense pressure'
The Danish embassy is located outside the main embassy district, but security there has nonetheless been tight since the cartoon reprint and most foreign staff have been moved out.
Aftermath of the blast near the Danish embassy
The BBC's Barbara Plett, in Islamabad, says it is alarming for many that the bomber got so close.
The attacker drove onto a small patch of road between the embassy and an office building.
The car's engine was found a few metres (yards) from the crater.
Asim Mukhtar, who works near the site of the blast, told the BBC that the air pressure there was "immense".
"It was like I was stuck between two speeding cars or between two moving trains. My door which was half-open slammed shut. Everything moved," he said.
"We ran to the roof and saw some black smoke rising. After one minute we heard the sounds of ambulances…"
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