*RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Jawed Bajwa onWednesday offered his condolences to the bereaved family of ANP leaderHaroon Bilour, who was assassinated in the previous night’s suicide attackin Peshawar.*

In a tweet, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general Maj GenAsif Ghafoor said: “COAS shares grief of Bilour family & ANP on condemnabletargeting of Haroon Bilour & victims of heinous terrorist attk.”

He quoted the army chief as saying, “We are fighting against nexus ofinimical forces which aren’t willing to absorb a peaceful & stablePakistan. We remain undeterred & shall IA defeat them.”

At least 21 people including a leader of the Awami National Party (ANP),Haroon Bilour, were martyred in a suicide attack in Yakatoot area ofPeshawar on Tuesday night.

According to police, a suicide attacker entered a corner meeting of the ANPleader and blew himself up.

Around 75 people were also injured in the attack. They were shifted to LadyReading and Khyber Teaching Hospitals in Peshawar.