Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday announced that a delegation from the country will attend the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the US-Israeli strikes in February.
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Speaking in the National Assembly, Sharif revealed that he had held a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday evening.
According to Sharif, the Iranian president repeatedly thanked Pakistan for its support during difficult times and invited him to attend Khamenei's funeral, scheduled for July 3 and 4.
“I said, Pakistan’s delegation will be present there, so we can tell the world how much respect we have for him in our hearts,” Sharif told lawmakers.
The Pakistani prime minister also highlighted Islamabad's role in facilitating the peace agreement between the United States and Iran.
“From Japan to Saudi Arabia, from Kuala Lumpur to Casablanca and from Mexico to India, if any country’s name is reverberating with respect and honour, it is Pakistan,” he said.
Sharif credited Army chief Asim Munir with playing the "most significant role" in securing the agreement and also acknowledged the contributions of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to the peace process.
He further announced a substantial cut in fuel prices.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly passed a resolution commending Pakistan's efforts in helping mediate peace between Washington and Tehran.
Sharif, on Thursday, postponed his visit to Switzerland for the US-Iran peace deal ceremony after the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) digitally, his spokesperson said on Thursday.
"The proposed visit has been postponed as the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has already been electronically signed, has entered into force, and is now under implementation," spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi told AFP.
The signing was scheduled to take place at the Bürgenstock resort in central Switzerland on Friday.
The announcement of Sharif postponing his visit came hours after he posted on social media that the agreement would come into force with immediate effect.
“As a first step, the Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade,” the Pakistani premier wrote on X.
The Strait of Hormuz has been under a virtual Iranian blockade since early March as Tehran retaliated forthe February 28 US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East conflict. In response, Washington imposed a naval blockade on Iran in April.
