Gunmen burst into a court in a busy shopping area in the heart of Pakistan's capital on Monday, killing at least 11 people in a suicide-bomb and gun attack likely to shatter any prospect of meaningful peace talks with Taliban insurgents.

The Pakistani Taliban, who have declared a month-long cease-fire to pursue peace talks with the government, immediately distanced themselves from the attack as well as a separate blast on the Afghan border which killed two soldiers.

An explosion reverberated in central Islamabad just after 9 am, followed by bursts of gunfire. Police said at least 30 were wounded. A judge was among those killed.

Even as the Taliban declared willingness to talk peace, almost daily attacks have continued around Pakistan in past weeks, showing that the central Taliban leadership is not entirely in control of its operations.

"We have already declared a cease-fire for a month and we stand by our promise," a Taliban spokesman said.

Bomb attacks are rare in Islamabad, the leafy and hilly seat of Pakistan's government.

The judge, Rafaqat Awan, was killed on the spot. He had rejected a petition last year to file a murder case against former president Perzez Musharraf over his order to storm a hard-line mosque in Islamabad in 2007.

During Monday's attack, two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the courtroom, police said.

Two other attackers were killed in the ensuing gun fight with police. Police said gunmen fired at random targets in the area after the initial explosion.

Reuters