Islamabad: Pakistan observed a national day of mourning today, marked by the countrywide offering of a funeral prayer in absentia for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was recently assassinated in Tehran. The collective mourning and prayers were a gesture of solidarity with Palestine and a condemnation of what has been described by Pakistani officials as Israeli state-sponsored terrorism.

According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the day’s events followed a decision from a consultative meeting of allied parties chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad. Prominent figures, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and various federal ministers such as the Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, participated in the “Ghaibana Namaz-e-Janaza” held at the Parliament House.

The ceremonies concluded with special prayers for the deceased, reflecting a deep engagement of Pakistani leadership with the Palestinian cause and the broader geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East.