ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will depart for Tehran on Friday to attend the funeral prayers of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said on Thursday.
Addressing his weekly media briefing in Islamabad, Andrabi said the prime minister will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, along with other members of the federal cabinet.
He said PM Shehbaz will attend the funeral prayers and reaffirm Pakistan’s solidarity and support for the brotherly country.
According to the Foreign Office, Khamenei was martyred on February 28 during Israeli and US strikes on Iran. His funeral prayers are scheduled to be held in Tehran on July 4, while his burial will take place in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9.
The spokesperson said that after concluding his visit to Iran, the prime minister will travel to Türkiye at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where he is scheduled to address a business conference in Istanbul.
Speaking about the indirect US-Iran negotiations in Doha, Andrabi said Pakistani mediators held separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators, during which positive progress was achieved on various aspects of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
He said both sides agreed to continue the negotiation process and hold the next round of talks at the earliest opportunity.
“Pakistan, alongside Qatar, will continue to facilitate the negotiations,” he added.
The spokesperson also said Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar remained engaged with the foreign ministers and senior leaders of Saudi Arabia, China, Bahrain, Iran, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
On the recent terrorist attack on a Pakistan Rangers camp in Karachi, Andrabi said Afghanistan’s chargé d’affaires was summoned to the Foreign Office and handed a strong protest, while Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul also lodged a formal demarche with the Afghan Foreign Ministry.
He said evidence indicated the involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist activities inside Pakistan, describing the use of Afghan territory and citizens for such attacks as a matter of serious concern.
The spokesperson added that action would be taken against Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan without valid visas or legal documentation.
Referring to the international seminar on the Indus Waters Treaty held in Islamabad on Tuesday, Andrabi said participants stressed the importance of preserving the treaty and resolving disputes through diplomatic channels.
He said Pakistan rejected India’s unilateral suspension of the treaty, while participants warned against using water as a weapon.
The spokesperson said any attempt to deprive a country of its shared water resources would pose a serious threat to regional peace and security.