President Asif Ali Zardari has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently in isolation, according to a statement issued by the presidency on Wednesday.
Media outlets, quoting sources, had reported yesterday that President Zardari had been hospitalised in Karachi after being brought over from Nawabshah, where he had offered Eidul Fitr prayers.
The president’s personal physician, Dr Asim Hussain, was quoted as saying in the statement that following multiple tests, it was confirmed that Zardari tested positive for Covid-19.
“The president is suffering from coronavirus and he has been advised to remain in isolation at this time,” Dr Hussain said. “A team of experts is taking care of the president and his condition is improving.”
Earlier in the day, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said President Zardari’s health was improving and refuted reports of him being shifted to Dubai for medical treatment.
“The reports about President Asif Ali Zardari being shifted to Dubai for treatment is inaccurate,” Memon wrote on X in the wee hours of Wednesday, sharing a collage of sources-based media reports.
The minister, a key leader of Zardari’s PPP, said the president’s health was “improving and Inshallah (God-willingly), he will be fine very soon”.
Earlier, PM Shehbaz had contacted the president to enquire about his health and wish him a speedy recovery.
In a message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed concern over the president’s health and prayed for his quick recovery.
The premier issued instructions to provide the best medical facilities to the president.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq also contacted President Zardari to enquire about his health and expressed his best wishes for his recovery.
“The entire nation’s prayers are with you,” he added.
PPP Senator Sehar Kamran, in a post on X, also wished the president “good health and a swift recovery”.
“May Allah Almighty grant him a long, happy, and fulfilling life. President Zardari is an icon of national unity, his resilience continues to inspire us all,” she wrote.
A statement from the office of Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori said he called the president’s physician and asked about Zardari’s health while expressing his well wishes.
At 69 years of age, President Zardari has had multiple health issues in recent years.
He tested positive for Covid-19 in July 2022 but only experienced “mild symptoms”, according to his son and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.