PM Shehbaz departs for Iran to attend assassinated supreme leader Khamenei's funeral

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has departed for Iran to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly assassinated in a US-Israeli strike on February 28. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced the departure on Friday, stating Sharif was accompanied by a high-level delegation. This group includes National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP Secretary General Nayyer Bukhari, and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

The PMO stated the premier would express heartfelt condolences to Iranian leadership and bereaved families. The visit also aims to reaffirm Pakistan’s complete solidarity with the Iranian nation during this period of grief. Following his visit to Iran, Sharif is scheduled to travel to Turkiye.

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The prime minister will express heartfelt condolences to the Iranian leadership and the bereaved families and reaffirm Pakistan’s complete solidarity with the brotherly Iranian nation in this hour of grief.

Earlier, Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani had already arrived in Tehran with a separate high-level delegation to attend Khamenei's funeral prayers and burial. Iranian officials welcomed the Pakistani delegation upon their arrival. Leaders from other nations, including Afghanistan, India, and Russia, are also expected to attend the funeral ceremonies.

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The prime minister will express heartfelt condolences to the Iranian leadership and the bereaved families and reaffirm Pakistan’s complete solidarity with the brotherly Iranian nation in this hour of grief.

The funeral proceedings are set to span multiple locations, reflecting the religious, political, and ideological foundations of the Islamic republic. The ceremonies will move from Tehran to the holy cities of Qom, Karbala, Najaf, and finally Mashhad. The funeral, initially delayed due to the Middle East conflict, is occurring amidst a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US, following the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding to halt hostilities. The article claims the US and Israel initiated the conflict with strikes that assassinated the supreme leader and his family members, along with other senior Iranian military commanders like Ali Shamkhani.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly stated that a large public turnout at the funeral would serve as a decisive response to terrorism and bullying, demonstrating national unity. The funeral is scheduled to begin on Saturday, with the body lying in state at a large complex in central Tehran.

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A massive public turnout at the funeral of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would serve as a “decisive” response to terrorism, violence and bullying, while demonstrating national unity.