Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz has tested positive for Covid-19 and subsequently gone into quarantine, it emerged on Monday.

In a statement, KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan wished Niaz a speedy recovery.

"He [Niaz] has been working day and night against the coronavirus outbreak. He has gone above and beyond his duty in this regard."

The chief minister also paid tribute to the services of the chief secretary and other officials involved in curbing the spread of the disease in the province.

The chief secretary was actively involved in Covid-related work in the province and was visiting hospitals, isolation centres and laboratories.

Niaz was appointed as chief secretary Khyber in October 2019. He had previously served as the Gilgit-Baltistan chief secretary.

On May 20, a PTI member of the Punjab Assembly (MPA) from Gujranwala, Shaheen Raza, passed away at Lahore's Mayo Hospital after having tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The same day, former Balochistan governor Syed Fazal Agha — who had been diagnosed with Covid-19 — died at a private hospital in Karachi.