PM Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asim Munir Pay Tribute to Iran’s Late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir attended the funeral ceremonies of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran on Friday, expressing Pakistan’s condolences and solidarity with the Iranian leadership and people.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Prime Minister Shehbaz paid tribute to the late Iranian leader during the ceremony and conveyed Pakistan’s sympathies to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, and the people of Iran during what it described as a period of national mourning.
Following the ceremony, the prime minister departed for Istanbul to continue his official visit to Türkiye.
Field Marshal Asim Munir also attended the funeral proceedings before returning to Pakistan. According to state-run Pakistan Television (PTV), he was seen off by Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and other senior Iranian officials.
The funeral ceremonies commenced after the body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was brought to Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, where foreign dignitaries, religious scholars, government officials, and thousands of mourners gathered to pay their respects.
Images from the ceremony showed mourners carrying the coffin, draped in Iran’s national flag, into the Grand Mosalla, one of the country’s most significant ceremonial venues. The hall was decorated with banners displaying images and quotations of the late leader, while large crowds dressed in black attended the memorial.
Iranian military officials, including Ahmad Vahidi, also paid tribute during the ceremony. The body will remain at the Grand Mosalla for three days before the official public funeral.
Millions of mourners and representatives from around 30 countries are expected to participate in Saturday’s official funeral ceremony. Visitors from neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan have also arrived to attend the commemorations.
Following the Tehran ceremonies, the funeral procession is scheduled to continue through the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq before the burial of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad on July 9.
Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian stated that the large public participation in the funeral would demonstrate national unity and serve as a strong response against terrorism and violence.
Pakistani Delegation
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was accompanied by 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 Nayyar Bukhari, and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah during the visit.
Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani also arrived in Tehran with a separate high-level delegation to participate in the funeral prayers and burial ceremonies.
The Prime Minister’s Office stated that Pakistan’s participation reflects the country’s solidarity with the people of Iran during this period of mourning. After concluding his visit to Tehran, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif continued his official tour with a visit to Türkiye.
