Sindh Governor Imran Ismail becomes latest politician to test positive for coronavirus

Published
34
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. — Photo courtesy: Imran Ismail Twitter/File
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. — Photo courtesy: Imran Ismail Twitter/File

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, he announced on Twitter late on Monday.

"I have just been tested Covid-19 positive, ... Inshallah will fight it out," he tweeted.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had taught his workers to fight the most difficult situations in life. "I believe this is nothing against what we are prepared for," he wrote.

The governor was tested for the virus on Sunday and his results came out positive today, he told ARY News in an interview.

Earlier this month, while Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah emphasised the need for a stricter lockdown in the province to prevent a surge in coronavirus cases, Governor Ismail had suggested favouring a relaxation in the restrictions after the three-week lockdown period was to end on April 14. The restrictions were subsequently extended for two weeks.

“We are not against the lockdown and we have supported it, but in the prevailing circumstances any extension in such types of restrictions seems not possible,” the governor, who belongs to the ruling PTI, had told reporters in Karachi.

He is the latest among several lawmakers or persons with political connections to have tested positive for the disease.

Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal MPA Abdul Rasheed, who is a member of the Sindh Assembly, had last week tested positive.

Sindh education minister Saeed Ghani, who himself went into isolation after being infected with the virus last month and subsequently recovered, wished Ismail an early recovery.

Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab too wished him well, saying the governor was in his prayers.

Earlier in April, a brother-in-law of Chief Minister Shah had died after testing positive for the coronavirus at a Karachi hospital.

Opinion

Editorial

Muddled hierarchy
Updated 15 Nov, 2026

Muddled hierarchy

The jurisdiction of the two courts and a mechanism for settling disputes between them should be spelt out in law, not left to judges to fight over.
Growing crisis
15 Nov, 2026

Growing crisis

AN emergency can be judged by the speed with which it draws an effective response. The National Population Council’s...
Organised rackets
15 Nov, 2026

Organised rackets

ON the International Day against Transnational Organised Crime, observed today, Pakistan finds itself in a tight...
Referendum talk
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Referendum talk

Unless the PPP is deliberately using Sindh as a bargaining chip, it should issue a clarification with a clear, consistent position on new administrative units, not one tailored to protect its home turf.
Mineral wealth
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Mineral wealth

Minerals should not be presented as a solution to Pakistan’s long-term economic difficulties. The aim should be to build an industrial base rather than export raw materials.
Late diagnosis
14 Nov, 2026

Late diagnosis

AS we mark World Diabetes Day today, Pakistan faces a troubling question: how many people are living with diabetes...