National Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad and a parliamentary delegation from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami arrived in Tehran to attend the funeral prayers and state mourning ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The delegation, led by Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Mujibur Rahman, includes Rajshahi Metropolitan Ameer Keramat Ali, Md Nurul Amin, Pirzada Syed Uddin Ahmad Hanzala, SM Khaliduzzaman and NCP leader Nasiruddin Patwari.
At the invitation of the Iranian government, the delegation is visiting Iran from July 3 to 9 to take part in the programmes.
Leaders from various countries have gathered at Tehran’s Grand Musalla, where Khamenei’s body has been placed for public tributes.
NCP central member Yasir Arafat, quoting Nasiruddin Patwari, said ten members of the Bangladeshi delegation, including the Speaker, are present there.
Hafiz Uddin left Dhaka on July 2 and arrived in Tehran on July 3 at the invitation of Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, BNP Media Cell member Shairul Kabir Khan said.
“Hafiz Uddin Ahmad will attend the funeral prayers on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman,” Shairul said.
Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike in late February at the age of 86. Born in Mashhad on April 19, 1939, he led Iran from 1989 until his death, becoming the country’s second Supreme Leader after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Iran is preparing one of the largest state funerals in its history, with six days of mourning ceremonies across Iran and Iraq expected to draw millions of people. Iranian authorities have transformed Tehran into a city of mourning ahead of the funeral, which is set to begin on July 4.
Public processions will be held in Tehran before funeral prayers in Qom and Khamenei’s burial on July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, fulfilling his wish to be laid to rest in his birthplace. Memorial gatherings are also planned in Iraq’s Shiite holy cities.
According to Iranian authorities, around two crore people are expected to attend the ceremonies, which are seen as both a farewell to Iran’s longest-serving modern leader and a display of stability during a sensitive political transition.