Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani tests positive for Covid-19

Published June 13, 2020
Gilani had appeared for a hearing at an Accountability Court in Rawalpindi recently. — File photo
Gilani had appeared for a hearing at an Accountability Court in Rawalpindi recently. — File photo

Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has tested positive for the coronavirus, his son Kasim Gilani revealed on Saturday.

In a tweet, Kasim Gilani said that his father's Covid-19 test had come back positive and that he blamed Prime Minister Imran Khan and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for his father's infection.

"Thank you Imran Khan’s government and National Accountability Bureau! You have successfully put my father’s life in danger."

The former premier had appeared in a NAB hearing in Rawalpindi on Thursday in a reference that accused him, PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari of receiving luxury vehicles and gifts from Toshakhana.

Gilani requested the judge that since a number of lawmakers had tested positive for Covid-19, he may be given permanent exemption from personal attendance in the court.

The reference was filed in the accountability court on March 2. The NAB reference alleged that Zardari and Sharif had obtained cars from Toshakhana by paying 15 per cent of the price of the cars. The bureau further alleged that Gilani had facilitated them in this regard.

Gilani is the latest politician to contract the virus. Earlier this week, a number of members from the PML-N and PTI also tested positive for coronavirus.

PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif isolated himself at his home after testing positive for the virus. President of PTI Karachi chapter and member Sindh Assembly Khurram Sher Zaman also revealed he had tested positive for Covid-19 on the same day.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and incumbent Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Monday.

Pakistan has reported 132,405 cases of the virus since its first case on Feb 26. So far the virus has killed 2,551 people in the country while more than 50,000 have recovered from the disease.

Opinion

Editorial

Falling temperatures
Updated 04 Jan, 2025

Falling temperatures

Vitally important for stakeholders to acknowledge, understand politicians can still challenge opposing parties’ narratives without also being in a constant state of war with each other.
Agriculture census
04 Jan, 2025

Agriculture census

ACCURATE information relating to agricultural activities is vital for data-driven future planning, policymaking, as...
Biometrics for kids
04 Jan, 2025

Biometrics for kids

ALTHOUGH the move has caused a panic among weary parents mortified at the thought of carting their children to Nadra...
Kurram peace deal
03 Jan, 2025

Kurram peace deal

It is the state’s responsibility to ensure that people of all sects can travel to and from the district without fear.
Pension reform
03 Jan, 2025

Pension reform

THE federal government has finally implemented several parametric reforms introduced in the last two budgets to...
The Indian hand
03 Jan, 2025

The Indian hand

OFFICIALS of the Modi regime were operating under a rather warped sense of reality, playing out Bollywood fantasies...