TEHRAN, Jul 3: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived here in the Iranian capital on Friday for a one-day visit to attend the funeral ceremony of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Heading a high-level delegation, the prime minister was accompanied by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and parliamentarians.

Upon his arrival at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, the prime minister was received by Iranian Minister for Interior Eskandar Momeni, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, and senior diplomatic officials from both countries.

During his stay in Tehran, Prime Minister Shehbaz will participate in the last rites of the late Iranian Supreme Leader.

On behalf of the people and Government of Pakistan, he will extend heartfelt condolences to the Iranian leadership and bereaved families, reinforcing Islamabad’s deep solidarity with the neighboring nation during this period of national grief.

Chief of the Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had already arrived in Tehran to attend the funeral.

According to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, delegations from nearly 100 countries, including civil society groups and public figures, are participating in the state rites.

Following his engagements in Tehran, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will depart for Istanbul on a bilateral visit to Turkiye, at the invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Besides meeting the Turkish leadership, he will also address a business conference hosted by Pakistan, aimed at spotlighting investment opportunities across Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs), energy, IT, trade, and privatization sectors.