By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Tuesday on his appointment as Iran’s new supreme leader, sending a formal letter that offered condolences for the killing of the cleric’s father and pledged continued close cooperation between the two neighbours.
In the message, released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Sharif expressed hope that Mojtaba Khamenei’s leadership would guide Iran “towards peace, stability, dignity and prosperity in the years ahead.” He also reiterated Pakistan’s condolences to the Iranian leadership and people over the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in US-Israeli coordinated strikes days earlier, along with other family members.
The Prime Minister noted that the killing had “deeply saddened the people of Pakistan, who stand in solidarity with the leadership and people of Iran during this difficult time.” He prayed for the new supreme leader’s “good health, well-being and success” and for “peace, stability and prosperity for the brotherly people of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The overture came just a day after Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the top clerical body, named Mojtaba Khamenei — the 56-year-old son of the late leader — as the country’s new supreme leader. The appointment was announced in a statement published shortly after midnight Monday in Iran. The younger Khamenei, a mid-ranking cleric, had survived the US-Israeli air war on Iran that claimed his father’s life.
A member of the Assembly of Experts, Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, said in a video released on Sunday that the choice was guided by the late leader’s own criteria: that Iran’s top cleric should be “hated by the enemy.” “Even the Great Satan (US) has mentioned his name,” Heidari Alekasir said of Mojtaba Khamenei. The comment came days after President Donald Trump described the younger Khamenei as an “unacceptable” choice. Other candidates considered for the position included Alireza Arafi, a member of the interim council that had been running the country; Mohsen Araki; and Hassan Khomeini, grandson of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
In his letter, Sharif emphasised the deep ties between Pakistan and Iran, which he said are “anchored in shared faith, history, culture and language.” He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment “to continue working closely with the Islamic Republic of Iran to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across all spheres of mutual interest for the benefit of the two brotherly peoples.” Sharif also took to the social media platform X to publicly mark the occasion. “I congratulate his eminence Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on his assumption of the responsibilities of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
President Asif Ali Zardari also congratulated the new supreme leader and extended “good wishes.” The president expressed hope for “improved conditions and stability in the region,” according to a statement from his office. The Pakistani government’s swift outreach underscores the longstanding, if sometimes complicated, relationship between Islamabad and Tehran. The two Muslim-majority nations share a border, and their leaders frequently describe each other as “brotherly” peoples bound by common religious, cultural and linguistic threads.
Ali Khamenei, who was 86 when he died, had led Iran since 1989. His death in last week’s strikes marked a sudden and violent transition at the pinnacle of Iranian power. Mojtaba Khamenei had long been viewed as a potential successor, though the formal process through the Assembly of Experts had not been expected so soon.
Sharif’s letter and public statements avoided direct reference to the circumstances of Ali Khamenei’s death beyond offering condolences, focusing instead on bilateral goodwill and the future of Iran under its new leader. Pakistani officials have historically sought to maintain cordial relations with Tehran even as Islamabad balances ties with Washington and other Gulf states. The developments come at a moment of heightened tension across the region following the US-Israeli military actions against Iran.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
