Pakistan, India observe 'day of mourning' over Iranian president's death

By Aamir Latif, Hilal Mir, SM Najmus Sakib and Ahmad Adil

KARACHI, Pakistan / SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir / DHAKA, Bangladesh / NEW DELHI (AA) - Pakistan and India on Tuesday observed a "day of mourning" to express solidarity with the Iranian government and people on the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and other senior officials in a helicopter crash.

National flags on all important government buildings were flown at half-mast as a gesture of respect in both countries.

Chairing a special Cabinet meeting, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid homage to Raisi, eulogizing his “active” role in regional diplomacy, including further bolstering ties between Islamabad and Tehran.

He sent condolences to the Iranian government and the people from his Cabinet, state-run Pakistan Television reported.

Acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani visited the Iranian Embassy in Islamabad to condole Raisi’s death.

Calling the slain president a “true friend of Pakistan,” Gilani, in his remarks, said the Muslim Ummah has lost a “great leader.”

A day earlier, Prime Minister Sharif also visited Tehran's diplomatic mission in Islamabad, to pay homage to the late Iranian leader.

- Procession in Kashmir

In India, all official functions scheduled for Tuesday were canceled while the national flag was flown at half-mast to observe the state mourning for Raisi's death.

Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi to convey “deepest condolences” on the death of the Iranian president and foreign minister.

“They will always be remembered as friends of India who contributed immensely to the growth of the India-Iran relationship,” he wrote on X. He added the “government of India stands in solidarity with the people of Iran at this very difficult time.”

In Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, a candlelight sit-in was held at the city’s busiest business hub on Monday night in memory of the deceased Iranian president.

Several youths, holding placards, gathered at Ghanta Ghar (clock tower), a city landmark where pro-freedom protesters would assemble in the past but now is thronged by tourists.

In the neighboring Budgam district, with a sizable Shia population, hundreds of people carrying Palestinian flags joined a mourning procession on Tuesday.

Bangladesh will observe a day of mourning on Thursday to commemorate the death of Raisi and other Iranian officials.

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- Japanese prime minister 'deeply saddened'

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in a message sent condolences to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and acting President Mohammad Mokhber on Raisi's death.

"I am deeply saddened by the sudden passing of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian, and others," Kishida was quoted as saying in a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

"On behalf of the government of Japan, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Government of Iran, the people of Iran, and the bereaved families, and to offer my sincere prayers for the repose of the souls of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian and others who passed away," he added.

Tehran confirmed Monday morning that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials died in a helicopter crash in a mountainous area of East Azerbaijan province on Sunday afternoon.