Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Tehran to attend the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei, diplomatic sources said.
The visit comes amid continued high-level diplomatic engagement between Pakistan and Iran following Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s recent visit to Islamabad.
According to diplomatic sources, Prime Minister Sharif will arrive in Tehran on the evening of July 2 along with an official delegation.
He will attend the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on July 3. The prime minister is expected to leave Tehran for Turkey the same night.
Shehbaz may meet Erdogan on July 4
Diplomatic sources said preparations are underway for a meeting between PM Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 4.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the latest regional situation after the Iran-US MoU, mutual relations and ways to promote bilateral cooperation.
The visit to Turkey will follow the prime minister’s Iran trip and is expected to include important meetings on regional developments and Pakistan-Turkey ties.
The diplomatic engagement comes as a series of high-level visits between Pakistan and Iran continues. After the Iranian president’s visit to Islamabad, President Asif Ali Zardari is also expected to visit Tehran at the end of July, sources said.
During the visit, President Zardari is expected to meet Iran’s top leadership.
President Zardari’s Iran visit yet to be finalised
Sources said the final schedule for President Zardari’s visit to Iran will be prepared soon.
President Zardari was earlier expected to visit Iran at the beginning of this year, but the visit could not take place due to the Iran-US war and tensions in the Middle East.
Sources confirmed that Iranian President Pezeshkian renewed his invitation to President Zardari during a recent meeting, and the president accepted it.
When contacted, the president’s spokesperson said it was not yet known when President Zardari’s visit would take place.
The spokesperson said the schedule has not been prepared so far. He added that the president already has an invitation to visit Iran, but the final decision will be made by President Zardari himself.
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