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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.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced boycotting the forthcoming elections for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly scheduled for July 27.

A spokesperson for the Imran Khan-founded party said in a statement that it will not be part of the electoral process “in the current circumstances”.
This decision does not aim for any political gain or loss,” the party said, adding: “[…] but it is taken to show solidarity with the Kashmiri people and respect to the democracy.

The former ruling party is currently the major opposition party in the Centre.

Referring to the ongoing protests organised by the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the PTI spokesperson added that the party would not participate in the electoral process until the establishment of an independent, just and peaceful political environment.

It is noteworthy to mention here that the AJK government had imposed a ban on the JAAC on June 5 under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) after violent protests.

The ban was imposed days ahead of the banned outfit’s planned June 9 protest seeking the abolition of 12 seats in the AJK reserved for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.

The National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) said that the 5.3-magnitude earthquake originated at a depth of 174 kilometres, with its epicentre located in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region
The earthquake sent tremors across Peshawar, Swat, Shangla, Buner, Lower Dir and adjoining areas in KP, with Lahore also experiencing the shaking.

Separately, the United States Geological Survey said that an earthquake of 5.5 magnitude struck Jurm in Afghanistan at a depth of 216.7 kilometres.

Last week, an earthquake of 5.9 magnitude struck Islamabad and parts of Punjab and KP, with tremors reported in several cities, including Rawalpindi, Lahore and Peshawar.

The NSMC on June 27 said that the earthquake originated at a depth of 178 kilometres, with its epicentre located in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan.

Strong tremors were reported in KP’s Shangla, Buner, Swat, and surrounding localities, as well as in Mianwali, Chakwal, Jhang and adjoining localities.

Tremors were also felt in Athmuqam, the district headquarters of Neelum Valley, as well as Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Pakistan’s susceptibility to earthquakes stems from its location along the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The country has experienced multiple devastating quakes in recent decades.

In February this year, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Islamabad, Swat, and Hunza, while the 2005 quake in Azad Kashmir killed over 73,000 people and left millions homeless.

Balochistan also suffered in 2021, when a quake in Harnai killed at least 20 people and hampered rescue operations due to landslides.

Experts warn that the rugged terrain of Pakistan’s earthquake-prone areas complicates relief efforts and makes preparedness

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