MMA lawmaker Munir Orakzai passes away

Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) legislator Munir Orakzai, who had successfully battled COVID-19 in April and tested negative but had fallen ill during a session of the lower house last month, passed away on Tuesday, confirmed the MNA's nephew Irfanullah.

According to the family member, the family got to know that the MMA lawmaker had passed away after he did not wake up for the Fajr prayers and was pronounced dead by doctors after being taken to the civil hospital in Tal.

Irfanullah stated that Orakzai's funeral will be held today at 3pm in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district.

Orakzai had fallen ill during a session of the Lower House on May 15 after recovering from the coronavirus.

The MMA lawmaker, who had arrived to attend a session of the parliament in a wheelchair, fell ill during the session. He was shifted to the Polyclinic Hospital in Islamabad  from the National Assembly immediately.

In April, Orakzai's son had confirmed to Geo News that his father had contracted the coronavirus and was undergoing treatment at the Hayatabad Complex in Peshawar.

“My father was on a ventilator at Hayatabad Complex last night. He is doing much better now,” Akhtar Munir Orakzai had said.

Akhtar had further said that his father had contracted the virus after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive for the virus. “Because of the lockdown, my father is at home. The rest of the family is also undergoing tests,” he had said.