Federal minister Shehryar Afridi tests positive for coronavirus

Published May 30, 2020
Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) and Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi (right) is the latest politician to test positive for coronavirus. — APP
Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) and Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi (right) is the latest politician to test positive for coronavirus. — APP

Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) and Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, he announced on Twitter on Saturday.

"I have tested positive of Covid-19 & have isolated myself at home as per advice by medics," he wrote.

"I need prayers & blessings. May Allah almighty help save all my countrymen from the pandemic under my PM," the federal minister added.

His announcement comes weeks after Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser had tested positive for Covid-19.

Both officials have since recovered from the coronavirus.

Sindh education minister Saeed Ghani, who himself went into isolation after being infected with the virus in March and subsequently recovered, tweeted a "get well soon" message to Afridi.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari also wished his colleague well on Twitter, saying that "You’re [Afridi] strong and will recover in no time InshaAllah".

So far 67,704 people across Pakistan have been infected with the virus that has killed more than 1,400 in the country.

Opinion

Editorial

Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
Updated 06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

Restored faith in the police is unachievable without political commitment and interprovincial support.
Appointment rules
Updated 06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

If the judiciary had the power to self-regulate, it ought to have exercised it instead of involving the legislature.
Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....