CEC, his father-in-law test positive for coronavirus

ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja has tested positive for corona and has gone in quarantine while Syed Saeed Mehdi who was principal secretary to prime minister Nawaz Sharif in his first stint has also tested corona positive.

Mehdi, who is in mid-70s, too has gone in isolation. He is father-in-law of Sikandar Sultan Raja. Both are reportedly stable now. Aamir Ahmad Ali, chairman CDA, who is son of Saeed Mehdi, parried comment about the health of his father and brother-in-law on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan, who tested positive for corona early this month, has recovered in a week and left for Kabul to conduct a one-day visit of the prime minister to Afghanistan today (Thursday). Khan had come to Islamabad for consultations regarding the maiden visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Afghanistan. Diplomatic sources told The News Foreign Office officials, who had tested positive for corona, are recovering at a faster pace and Ambassador Mansoor is the first who has resumed his duties.

The sources said the government has enforced strict restrictions for observation of SOPs for protection against the corona pandemic.

The Foreign Office is also following the same.

Additional Foreign Secretary for Americas Syed Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, who was bedridden due to corona for ten days, is also recovering but his test hasn’t become negative yet.