Who are the Indians attending Iran’s late Supreme Leader Khamenei’s burial?
Funeral ceremonies to begin on July 4 and end with Khamenei’s burial in Mashhad on July 9; Modi skips event, Mehbooba Mufti, Salman Khurshid among attendees
As Iran prepares to finally bury its late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic nation has sent invitations to political and religious leaders in India to attend the funeral ceremonies spread across six days.
The ceremonies will kick-start on July 4 in Tehran and conclude with Khamenei’s burial in Mashhad on July 9.
PM Modi to skip event
The Ministry of External Affairs has said that Bihar Governor Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, will represent the Indian government at the event.
Also read: Khamenei's funeral: Iran invites Nabin, Kharge; India to send delegates
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshikian had earlier sent an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the funeral ceremonies, but Modi is unlikely to attend due to prior commitments.
Congress sends Salman Khurshid
The Congress is sending former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid to attend the burial ceremonies. Iran had invited Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leaders Salman Khurshid and Pawan Khera to the event.
Khurshid, the head of the foreign affairs department of the Congress, left for Iran on Thursday.
Mehbooba, Shia leaders depart
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti also left for Tehran on Thursday (July 2) to attend the funeral ceremonies. She is the only Shia politician from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to be invited to the event.
Also read: Iran invites PM Modi to Khamenei’s funeral; New Delhi yet to decide
Iran has also extended invitations to National Conference MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, also a Shia, Peoples Conference representative and All Jammu and Kashmir Shia Association president Imran Reza Ansari, Shia religious functionaries Aga Syed Hassan Al-Mousawi Al-Safavi, Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa, Ladakh Congress president Asgar Ali Karabali and Kargil Democratic Alliance member Sajjad Kargili.
It is reported that Iran sent a special aircraft to fly the guests to Tehran as commercial flights remain suspended to the country.
Hindu, Jain leaders invited
From the BJP, Bihar BJP president Nitin Nabin has been invited to attend the funeral ceremonies.
Representatives of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living, Brahmachari Pragyachaitanya, and Gautam Vig have also reached Iran.
Also read: ‘Martyr’ or ‘tyrant’: How world’s major media outlets see Khamenei’s killing
Tehran has also invited Jain monk Acharya Lokesh Muni, also the founder of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, to attend the funeral.
Khamenei, who ruled Iran for the last three decades, was killed on February 28, the first day of massive US and Israeli air strikes on Tehran.
While Iran had planned the funeral in March, it was postponed due to the escalation in its conflict with America.