Islamabad, May 13 (IANS): Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's all-party meeting on a Pakistan-China project was overshadowed by the Karachi bus attack that left 45 people dead on Wednesday.

The All Parties Conference was supposed to discuss the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor project here, which was inaugurated during Chinese President Xi Jin Ping's visit to Pakistan.

At the onset of the conference, Muttahida Quami Movement lawmaker Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui suggested to his peers to postpone the meeting and accompany him to Karachi where gunmen had killed over 45 people and injured 20 others in an attack on a bus carrying members of the Ismaili community, a Shia sub-sect.

Sharif said terrorists attacked those who played a key role in Pakistan's development.

"We have to take strict decisions," Sharif said before seeking the opinion of other participants whether the meeting should be postponed to another day.

The majority decided to visit Karachi following a brief session of the All Parties Conference.

Jundullah, an Al Qaeda-affiliated outfit, has claimed responsibility for the attack on the bus which carried 60-65 people.