Shehbaz Sharif to visit Iran on Friday for Khamenei funeral

Preparations have been completed for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official visit to Iran, where he will attend the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The prime minister is scheduled to depart for Tehran on Friday.

A high-level Pakistani delegation will accompany the prime minister during the visit. The delegation includes Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi and Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the delegation will attend the funeral prayers and pay their respects to the late Iranian leader. Meanwhile, preparations for Ali Khamenei’s funeral are continuing in Tehran. Giant portraits of the late leader have been displayed at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, where workers are making final arrangements for the ceremony.

The funeral, which was delayed due to the conflict in the Middle East, will now take place after Iran and the United States agreed to maintain a fragile ceasefire following a preliminary agreement aimed at ending the conflict.

Also Read: Iran declares July 6 public holiday for Khamenei funeral

Ali Khamenei, regarded as an important religious figure by many Shia Muslims, was killed at the age of 86 at his compound in central Tehran on February 28, the first day of the war. His public funeral will begin on Saturday, with his body lying in state at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, a major venue for Friday prayers, official ceremonies and religious gatherings. The bodies of his relatives, who were also killed, will be presented during the funeral ceremonies.

Iranian officials expect between 15 million and 20 million mourners to attend the funeral. If those estimates are met, it will become the largest state funeral in the country’s history.