Former Pakistan PM Gilani tests positive for Coronavirus

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani tested positive for the Coronavirus on Saturday, becoming the latest top political figure to contract COVID19 that has claimed 2,593 lives and infected 135,702 people in the country.

Gilani, 67, tested positive after attending a hearing of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a corruption case.

On Thursday, Shehbaz Sharif, chief of the Opposition Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-N), tested positive for the Coronavirus after he appeared before the NAB in a money laundering case.

Gilani’s son Kasim Gilani announced on Twitter that the former premier had tested positive for the Coronavirus.

“Thank you Imran Khan’s govt and National Accountability Bureau! You have successfully put my father’s life in danger. His COVID-19 result came positive,” Kasim said.

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi also tested positive for the Coronavirus on Saturday. Despite spike in the number of cases, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday ruled out a sweeping lockdown.

Prime Minister Khan, who visited Lahore and held meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Governor Muhammad Sarwar and other officials, reiterated that Pakistan like other countries would not be able to sustain the burden lockdown as it would hurt the people.

For countries like us, the only option is a smart lockdown so that the burden doesn’t fall on poor people, he said.

The premier’s visit to Lahore comes a day after the Punjab government had sent recommendations to the federal government to tighten lockdown measures in the province, in particular Lahore, in a bid to curb the growing number of COVID-19 cases.