From Nitin Naveen to Kharge-Mehbooba Mufti, which Indian leaders got invitation to Khamenei’s funeral, who will go to Iran?

On the first day of the Middle East War, Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint attack by America and Israel. Now his funeral has created a stir not only in West Asia but also in the politics of India. First, Iran sent a formal invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the state function, but the Indian government decided to send an official delegation in its place. According to media reports, along with this, separate invitations were also sent to many leaders of different parties including BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party, PDP.

The most discussed among these is Mehbooba Mufti’s visit to Tehran, because she had openly supported Iran during the Iran-America-Israel conflict. In such a situation, the question is which leaders got the invitation and who will go to Iran?

How long will the funeral program last?

Iran has sent formal invitations to many prominent faces of political and public life in India to attend the state funeral of its former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei died on February 28 during a joint air strike between America and Israel. The funeral ceremony will be held between July 5 and 9 in Tehran, Qom and Mashhad, which is expected to be attended by a large number of foreign delegates.

Who will represent the Government of India?

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had also sent an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Government of India has decided to send an official delegation in place of the Prime Minister. At the government level, Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pavitra Margherita will represent India. This indicates that India wants to maintain its balanced West Asia policy stance while maintaining diplomatic courtesy with Iran.

Which Indian leaders got the invitation?

Iran has also invited leaders of different political parties and social sectors of the country to attend the funeral. Prominent Indians invited include BJP leader Nitin Naveen, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP Imran Masood, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, Congress foreign affairs chief Salman Khurshid, Samajwadi Party MP Afzal Ansari, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, Srinagar MP Ruhullah Mehdi, Ladakh MP Haji Hanifa and Jain saint Acharya Lokesh Muni.

Which of these will go to Iran?

According to the information revealed so far, Congress has expressed the possibility of Salman Khurshid going to Tehran. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti herself has confirmed that she will visit Iran to pay her last respects to Khamenei. There has been no official confirmation yet regarding the visit of other invited leaders.

Why is Mehbooba Mufti’s visit important?

Mehbooba Mufti’s visit to Tehran is not only being considered a tribute visit, but it also has political significance. Since the beginning of the Iran-America-Israel conflict, he had openly given statements in support of Iran and against the actions of America-Israel. This stance was considered different from the official balanced and neutral foreign policy of the Government of India. After Khamenei’s death, she had also gone to the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi and expressed her condolences.

Who sent the invitation to Mehbooba?

According to PDP, Mehbooba Mufti has received a formal invitation from the office of Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The party claims that she is the only non-Shia political leader from Jammu and Kashmir who has been invited to this state funeral. PDP leader Waheed Para said that due to closure of regular flights, the Iranian government is arranging a special plane for foreign guests and Mehbooba will leave for Tehran on the same special flight.

Why was Acharya Lokesh Muni called?

Jain saint and founder of ‘Ahimsa Vishwa Bharati’ Acharya Lokesh Muni has also been invited to the funeral. In view of his long contribution in the field of inter-religious dialogue, peace and non-violence, Iran has invited him as a special guest. His presence also underlines the religious and global dialogue dimension of this event.

Why is Khamenei’s funeral so important?

Khamenei led Iran for more than three decades and played a central role in the politics of West Asia. After his death, his son Mojtaba Khamenei took over as supreme leader. Iran is seeing the funeral ceremony as a show of strength and a major event of national unity. The presence of lakhs of people is expected, making it one of the biggest state funerals in the history of the country.

How will the funeral program be?

According to Iran’s government news agency IRNA, 12 million to 20 million people are expected to attend the funeral, due to which unprecedented security and administrative preparations have been made in the capital Tehran. On July 4 and 5, tribute meetings will be held in Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosque, while on July 6 and 7, funeral processions will be taken out in Tehran and Qom. The final ceremony will take place on July 9 in Mashhad, where Khamenei will be laid to rest at the shrine complex of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of the Shia community.

Let us tell you that US President Donald Trump had announced the death of Khamenei on the first day of the Middle East War. According to Iranian media, four members of Khamenei’s family were also killed in the American-Israeli attacks.