PM Shehbaz to attend Ali Khamenei’s funeral in Iran: FO
- Pakistan to continue facilitating US-Iran negotiations: FO.
- Says action planned against undocumented Afghan nationals.
- Premier to address Istanbul business conference in Turkiye.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will depart for Tehran on Friday to attend the funeral prayers of the late Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said.
Addressing his weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Andrabi said that the prime minister will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other members of the federal cabinet.
Andrabi said that PM Shehbaz will attend the funeral prayers of the late supreme leader and reaffirm Pakistan’s solidarity with and support for the brotherly country.
Khamenei was martyred on February 28, the first day of Israeli and US strikes on Iran. His funeral is set to begin in Tehran on July 4, with burial scheduled for July 9 in his hometown of Mashhad, according to Iranian state media.
The spokesperson said that after completing his visit to Iran, the prime minister will depart for Turkiye at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He said that PM Shehbaz is scheduled to address a business conference in Istanbul during his trip.
US-Iran talks
The spokesperson also touched upon the indirect US-Iran talks in Doha. Andrabi said that Pakistani mediators held separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators, where “positive progress” was made on various aspects of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
He said that the parties 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 added that DPM Dar remained engaged with the foreign ministers and senior leaders of Saudi Arabia, China, Bahrain, Iran, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
‘Afghanistan’s envoy summoned over Rangers camp attack’
Separately, Andrabi said that Afghanistan’s charge d’affaires was summoned to lodge a strong protest over the recent terrorist attack in Karachi, while Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul delivered a formal protest note to the Afghan Foreign Ministry.
Three Pakistan Rangers personnel embraced martyrdom, and four others were injured when militants belonging to an Indian proxy, Jamaat ul Ahrar, launched a coordinated attack on a Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp in Karachi on Saturday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations. Three terrorists were killed, and an Afghan national was arrested in an injured condition.
Andarabi said that evidence showed Afghan nationals had been involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan, terming the use of Afghan territory and citizens for such attacks as a matter of serious concern.
He further said action would be taken against Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan without valid visas or legal documentation.
‘Serious threat to regional peace’
Speaking about the international seminar on the Indus Waters Treaty held in Islamabad on Tuesday, Andrabi said that the participants stressed the importance of upholding the water agreement and resolving disputes through diplomatic channels.
He said that Pakistan also rejected India’s unilateral suspension of the treaty, while participants called for preventing the use of water as a weapon.
The spokesperson warned that any attempt to deprive a country of its shared water resources would pose a serious threat to regional peace and security.
