Pakistan’s former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has tested positive for coronavirus, his family and party confirmed on Monday.
Abbasi, who served as premier for 10 months from 2017 to 2018 following the disqualification of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, has gone into self-isolation.
Confirming the development, opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the president of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), said he prayed for Abbasi’s speedy recovery.
Abbasi is the senior vice president of the party.
Meanwhile, Khawaja Salman Rafiq, another leading figure of the party and former health minister for northeastern Punjab province, also confirmed in a tweet that he contracted the virus.
The former ruling party has urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure the availability of medicines to tackle the outbreak.
Other high-profile politicians who tested positive for the virus in Pakistan include governor of southeastern Sindh province Imran Ismail, and parliament speaker Asad Qaiser.
The country has reported 103,671 infections thus far, including 2,067 deaths and 32,581 recoveries. The numbers have shot up exponentially following an ease in lockdown.
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