Islamabad (GNP): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif left the capital on Friday for a brief trip to Iran, where he will attend funeral proceedings for the country’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Traveling with the prime minister is a senior delegation that includes National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.
While in Tehran, Shehbaz will take part in the funeral rites for the late Iranian leader. He is expected to convey condolences on behalf of Pakistan’s government and citizens to Iran’s leadership and the grieving families, while reaffirming Pakistan’s full support for Iran during this period of loss.
Following the Tehran visit, the prime minister will travel on to Istanbul for a bilateral trip to Türkiye at President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s invitation. There, discussions will cover the broader bilateral relationship, with particular emphasis on boosting trade and investment ties between the two countries. While in Istanbul, Shehbaz will also speak at a Pakistan-hosted business conference aimed at showcasing investment opportunities in sectors such as special economic zones, energy, trade, information technology, and privatization.
Iranian authorities are organizing an extended period of funeral observances for Khamenei, intended as a nationwide expression of loyalty to the Islamic Republic. State broadcaster IRNA reported via Telegram that the late leader’s remains had been brought to the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, referring to the site by its formal title.
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Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had already arrived in Tehran earlier in the day, leading a separate high-level delegation to attend the funeral prayers and burial. Pakistan Television reported the arrival on social media and noted that Iranian officials received the visiting delegation.
Khamenei’s passing, along with the transition of leadership to his son Mojtaba as the country’s next supreme leader, comes amid ongoing tensions with Iran’s adversaries and represents a major turning point in the 47-year history of the Islamic Republic. Mojtaba, who was seriously injured in the same strike that killed his father, has not appeared publicly in any new imagery since the conflict began.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
