Addressing a weekly briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Andrabi said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will first travel to Iran, where he will attend the funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei was assassinated in US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
The prime minister will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, cabinet members, and senior officials. During the visit, PM Shehbaz will convey condolences on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan to the Iranian leadership and bereaved families. He will also reaffirm Pakistan’s solidarity with Iran during this period of grief.
Following his Iran visit, the premier will travel to Istanbul at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Andrabi said the leaders will hold discussions covering the full scope of bilateral relations. The talks will focus on boosting trade, investment cooperation, and regional peace and security.
PM Shehbaz will also address a business conference aimed at highlighting Pakistan’s trade and investment potential. Key sectors include special economic zones, energy, IT, trade, and privatisation. The conference will bring together leading Turkish investors, business leaders, and senior officials.
Andrabi noted that the visits reflect Pakistan’s historic, cultural, and fraternal ties with Iran and Turkiye.
Commenting on the US-Iran conflict, the spokesperson said Pakistan has intensified diplomatic engagement to support the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 18. He added that positive progress was made during US-Iran talks held in Doha, which continued into Tuesday morning.
Pakistan will continue to play a facilitative and mediatory role in the negotiations alongside Qatar, Andrabi said. He also confirmed that Ishaq Dar has maintained high-level consultations with international counterparts in recent days.
