ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday congratulated Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on assuming the responsibilities of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, expressing hope that his leadership will guide the country towards peace, stability, dignity, and prosperity in the years ahead. In a letter to Mojtaba, the prime minister conveyed condolences to the Iranian leadership and people on the martyrdom of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, father of the new supreme leader, and other family members, the PM’s Office said in a statement. PM Shehbaz reiterated the deepest condolences and prayers of the people of Pakistan at this solemn moment for the brotherly people of Iran and the wider Muslim Ummah, it read. He noted that Ali Khamenei’s martyrdom had deeply saddened the people of Pakistan, who stand in solidarity with the leadership and people of Iran during this difficult time. The prime minister expressed the hope that Mojtaba’s leadership would guide Iran towards peace, stability, dignity and prosperity in the years ahead.He underscored that relations between Pakistan and Iran are anchored in shared faith, history, culture and language.He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to continue working closely with Iran to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across all spheres of mutual interest for the benefit of the two brotherly peoples. PM Shehbaz also prayed for the good health, well-being and success of the new Iranian supreme leader and for peace, stability and prosperity for the brotherly people of Iran.

Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, had been appointed to succeed his father as the new head of the nation. The younger Khamenei was named supreme leader by the top clerical body, the Assembly of Experts, in a statement published shortly after midnight on Monday in Iran. The 56-year-old mid-ranking cleric has survived the US-Israeli air war on Iran. His 86-year-old father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was martyred in an airstrike by US-Israel last week. A member of the council, Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, said in a video on Sunday that a candidate had been selected based on Khamenei’s guidance that Iran’s top leader should be “hated by the enemy”. “Even the Great Satan (US) has mentioned his name,” Heidari Alekasir said of the chosen successor, days after US President Donald Trump said Mojtaba was an “unacceptable” choice for him. Other contenders for the top position had included Alireza Arafi, one of the three members of the interim council running the country, Mohsen Araki, and even Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic republic — Ruhollah Khomeini — in 1979.