Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called an all-party conference (APC) on February 7 to take up the core national issues, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Thursday.

The APC will be held in Islamabad and the premier has formally invited all the leaders of national parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan.

Federal Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq contacted former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and ex-defenCe minister Parvez Khattak to give the PM invitation.

PM Shehbaz also summoned a meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Security Apex Committee at the Governor’s House in Peshawar on Friday (tomorrow) and invited two PTI representatives too.

The top-level security huddle will deliberate on the situation arising out of the suicide attack inside police headquarters in Peshawar in which 101 people mostly police officials were martyred.

See Also: PM summons KP security apex committee huddle

All stakeholders, police, rangers and senior officers of sensitive institutions will participate in the Apex Committee meeting at the Governor's House. Sardar Ayaz Sadiq requested the PTI leaders to inform the names of the nominated representatives of his party. 

According to KP police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari, the suicide bomber involved in the blast has been identified and the police are closing in on the terror network behind the massacre. He told the media that the bomber was in police uniform, riding a bike, wearing a helmet and facemask, leading his smooth smooth access to the mosque.

See Also: Police closing in on terror network behind Peshawar blast

He said the entire police department was in shock and grief but some elements were misleading the cops by advancing conspiracy theories which were totally unacceptable.  “We found ball bearings used in a suicide jacket from underneath the rubble.

This was a suicide bomber and we have traced him. We have obtained the CCTV footage of his movement from Khyber Road to the Police Lines, and then how he parked his motorcycle on the side.

The shocking terror strike invited worldwide condemnation. Showing solidarity with Pakistan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the US stance that terrorism for any reason at any place is indefensible.

He also extended his deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. The Russian foreign minister called for global cooperation to eliminate terrorism. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres extended condolences to the bereaved families

See Also: King Charles expresses solidarity with Pakistan

In a message to Pakistan President Dr Arif Alvi, King Charles III condemned the terror hit, saying: "Such acts of incomprehensible brutality, wherever they occur, are a barbaric assault on our shared humanity.”

 “My wife and I were profoundly shocked by the dreadful bomb attack in Peshawar on Monday. Such acts of incomprehensible brutality, wherever they occur, are a barbaric assault on our shared humanity and our values of understanding and compassion. 

“It is all the more horrific that the victims were in a place of worship during afternoon prayers. We feel most deeply for all those who have been so cruelly bereaved and injured. We recall our visit to Pakistan in 2006 with the greatest fondness, and will hold the people of Pakistan in our special thoughts and prayers as you mourn those you have lost.”