Washington, DC [US], July 8 (ANI): US Senator Rick Scott has questioned Islamabad's role as a mediator in the US-Iran ceasefire agreement, accusing Pakistan of 'hypocrisy' after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to Tehran to attend the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Sharing a video on social media platform X, the US lawmaker highlighted footage of Sharif paying tribute to the 86-year-old Shia cleric, who was killed on 28 February during the opening day of the US-Israeli military conflict with Iran. The clip captured the costly Pakistani premier describing Khamenei as 'a great scholar and leader whom millions of Muslims will remember', while declaring that 'Pakistan and Iran will march together under all circumstances.'

https://x.com/SenRickScott/status/2074265499358171324?s=20

In an accompanying post, Senator Scott launched a scathing attack on Islamabad's historical ties to terrorism and internal religious persecution, warning that Washington is maintaining strict surveillance over the country's actions. He reminded the public of Pakistan's problematic track record, stating that the international community needs to remember who Pakistan really is in the middle of all this.

He further lambasted Islamabad in the post, stating, 'We need to remember who Pakistan really is in the middle of all this. We're talking about a country where bin Laden hid out for a decade, where they selectively enforce lopsided blasphemy laws to persecute Christians, and where the prime minister just praised the genocidal mass-murdering tyrant that used to run Iran,' while asserting that the South Asian nation is 'no better qualified to 'mediate' this than the Hamas-harbouring Qataris.' He issued a direct warning to the regime, adding, 'Islamabad should take note; we're watching closely.'

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people filled the streets of the Iranian holy city of Qom on Tuesday, marking the fourth day of extensive funeral proceedings for the deceased supreme leader. Khamenei's remains are currently lying in state at the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom, a major theological hub housing Shia Islam's most prominent shrines and seminaries.

Aerial footage broadcast by Iranian state television captured vast crowds packed across the city, which has a population of around 1.5 million. A prayer service at the mosque was led by Abdollah Javadi-Amoli, a 93-year-old conservative ayatollah, during which the gathered crowd chanted 'death to America' in unison.

State media also broadcast images of mourners and turbanned clerics paying respects beside the coffins of Khamenei and four family members killed alongside him, including a granddaughter who was reportedly only 14 months old.

The massive gatherings follow a large-scale procession in Tehran on Monday, which authorities utilised to project internal stability and strength following the war and the violent anti-government protests that shook Iran six months ago. The turnout in the capital drew comparisons to the 1989 funeral of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

A subsequent funeral procession is slated to take place on Wednesday in neighbouring Iraq, which holds a significant Shia population. The final burial for Khamenei, who held power in Iran for more than 30 years, is scheduled for Thursday in his northeastern hometown of Mashhad. (ANI)