PM Shehbaz leaves for Iran to attend Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for Iran on Friday on a one-day visit to attend the funeral of the country's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. According to an official statement, the prime minister will participate in the funeral ceremonies in Tehran and convey the condolences of the government and people of Pakistan to the Iranian leadership and the bereaved families. During the visit, PM Shehbaz is expected to reaffirm Pakistan's solidarity with the people of Iran during their time of mourning. Khamenei, who led Iran as supreme leader for 37 years, was killed at the age of 86 in missile strikes on his residential and office compound in central Tehran on February 28, the first day of the conflict between Iran and the US-Israel alliance. Several members of his family, including his daughter and two grandchildren, were also reportedly killed. His funeral, initially planned for early March, was postponed due to the conflict and was only rescheduled after a fragile ceasefire between Tehran and Washington took effect. Head of the organising committee, Ali-Akbar Purdjamschidian, said the six-day funeral was intended to "strengthen national cohesion and unity" across Iran's political, religious and social groups. The prime minister is accompanied by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. Following the funeral ceremonies in Tehran, the prime minister will depart for Istanbul to begin his bilateral visit to Türkiye. The post PM Shehbaz leaves for Iran to attend Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral appeared first on HUM News English.