Pakistani Foreign Minister diagnosed with COVID-19
Updated 08:18, 04-Jul-2020
CGTN

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday evening confirmed he tested positive for COVID-19 and is quarantining at home.

The foreign minister announced the news on Twitter, saying "this afternoon I felt a slight fever and immediately quarantined myself at home. I have now tested positive for COVID-19."

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's twitter screenshot.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's twitter screenshot.

He said he felt healthy and would carry on his duties from home.

There are no reports about the possible links which caused his infection. He had been conducting meetings continuously and had reportedly visited his hometown and met some locals.

In the last few days, Qureshi has had contact with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in parliament and a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi meets with U.S. special representative on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad, Pakistan, July 1, 2020. /Pakistani Foreign Office

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi meets with U.S. special representative on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad, Pakistan, July 1, 2020. /Pakistani Foreign Office

Qureshi also met U.S. special representative on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad on Wednesday when Khalilzad traveled to Pakistan to discuss progress on the Afghan peace process. Pictures released from those meetings showed Qureshi and others wearing face masks. The U.S. State Department did not comment.

According to the data available on Pakistani health ministry's website on Friday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen to 221,896 with 4,551 deaths and 113,623 recoveries in the country.

Pakistan has continued to see around 4,000 new cases on a daily basis, despite daily testing numbers falling.

A number of high officials have tested positive for COVID-19 in Pakistan, including Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed and the speaker of the lower house of parliament, Asad Qaiser.

(With input from wires)