Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif to attend Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral in Iran

Published 2 July 2026 · politics

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Iran on Friday to attend the funeral of the country's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Iran on Friday to attend the funeral of the country's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in US-Israeli strikes in February, the Foreign Office announced on Thursday. Sharif will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, several federal cabinet members and senior government officials during the visit to Tehran. "The prime minister will convey condolences on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan to the Iranian leadership and the bereaved families while reaffirming solidarity with the brotherly nation in their hour of profound grief," Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said. He would “hold discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral relations with a special focus on giving impetus to bilateral trade and investment cooperation between the two brotherly countries,” Andrabi said. “The leadership meeting will also reflect on issues concerning regional peace and security,” he added.

Following his engagements in Iran, the Pakistani prime minister will travel to Turkiye at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Andrabi said. During his visit to Turkiye, Sharif is also scheduled to address a business conference organised by Pakistan. The event will showcase the country's trade and investment opportunities across key sectors, including special economic zones (SEZs), energy, information technology, trade and privatisation, Andrabi added. The conference aims to highlight Pakistan's economic potential and attract greater foreign investment into strategic industries. Earlier, ahead of the Iranian President's visit to Pakistan last week, Prime Minister Sharif announced that he would travel to Tehran to attend the funeral ceremony of the late Supreme Leader. Salman Khurshid to represent Congress at Khamenei’s state funeral Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Thursday confirmed that he will represent the Congress party at the state funeral of Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Khurshid told ANI: "I am representing the party and will attend the state funeral ceremony of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei." Khurshid said he would attend the funeral ceremonies in Iran on behalf of the Congress, reaffirming the party's participation in the state event. On June 3, Iranian authorities announced plans to hold a three-day public funeral for the late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran Deputy Mayor Mohammad Amin Tavakoli-Zadeh shared details of the extensive arrangements for the multi-city commemorations. He said the funeral processions would be organised across several major cities, including the capital Tehran, as well as the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad. According to Iranian state media, the funeral ceremonies are set to commence on July 4. The observances will continue with events in Qom, located south of Tehran, on July 7 before concluding with Khamenei's burial in his hometown of Mashhad, a holy city in northeastern Iran, on July 9.