Caretaker Prime Minister retired Justice Nasirul Mulk and Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday separately visited Peshawar to condole with the Bilour family over the death of senior Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haroon Bilour in a suicide attack.

During his visit to the city, Prime Minister Mulk held meetings with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and caretaker Chief Minister retired Justice Dost Muhammad Khan. Interior Minister Azam Khan accompanied the premier.

The prime minister was briefed about security measures being taken by the provincial government in the wake of the terrorist attack on a corner meeting in Peshawar, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said.

Mulk expressed concern over the loss of lives in the attack and directed authorities to ensure fool-proof security arrangements for contesting candidates, particularly the top political leadership.

At Bilour House, the prime minister offered condolences with the family of Haroon Balour.

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Punjab Governor Rafiq Rajwana, the KP governor and caretaker chief minister accompanied Prime Minister Mulk during the visit. Ex-senator Ilyas Bilour and former federal minister Ghulam Bilour received Mulk at Bilour House.

'We stand united against proponents of hate'

According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release, Chief of Army Staff Gen Bajwa met members of the Bilour family to grieve Haroon Bilour's death.

In his remarks, the COAS said the Bilour family has "stood firm in [the] war against terrorism with great sacrifices during [a] national effort."

"We have come a long way in our challenging journey to peace and [the] destination isn’t far,” he was quoted as saying.

The army chief said the nation stands united against "all proponents of hate and mayhem regardless of hue and colour".

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan had on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the Peshawar suicide blast that killed Haroon, a provincial assembly candidate for PK-78, and 19 others.

In was the first incident of terrorism targeting the ongoing election campaign, with a suicide bomber blowing himself up at a corner meeting of ANP at around midnight on Tuesday.

Haroon was ANP’s provincial information secretary and son of ANP stalwart Bashir Ahmed Bilour, who was killed in a suicide attack in December 2012.

A terror alert was earlier issued by the National Counter-Terrorism Authority warning of attacks on politicians, most of them belonging to KP, including ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan.

Haroon’s uncle, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, had survived a suicide attack.

ANP rally protests Bilour's killing

Condemning the suicide attack on ANP's corner meeting which left Bilour and 21 others dead, the party's workers took out a rally from the Dabghari area and passed through different areas of the PK-78 constituency.

Holding black flags, the protesting workers chanted slogans like "zalimo jawab do, zulum ka hisab do".