Pakistan PM Khan to be tested for Covid-19, after contact with virus carrier while receiving charity check

They say no good deed goes unpunished and that may prove to be wistfully true for Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, who came into contact with a Covid-19 case while receiving a check from a charity to help fight coronavirus.

Khan could be the latest political leader to contract the illness, after it was confirmed that Faisal Edhi, the head of Pakistan’s biggest charitable organisation, has tested positive for the disease.

The prime minister met Edhi last week, ironically to receive a check to help fund Pakistan’s fight against the coronavirus. Neither man was shown wearing a face mask in the photograph the government released to the media after the meeting in Islamabad.

On Tuesday, the prime minister’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, said Khan would heed advice and undergo testing for the virus, which has so far claimed 192 lives in Pakistan, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In the days after the charity event, Khan met with a number of high-ranking officials, chairing a cabinet meeting and having a sit-down with the head of Pakistani intelligence.

Pakistan has eased lockdown measures by allowing essential industries and services to resume operations. As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts later this week, it has also removed restrictions on mosque congregations.

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