Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Tests Positive For COVID-19

For the third time, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, a day after returning from his trip to the UK.

Shehbaz, 71, returned to Pakistan on Monday after taking a detour to London from the COP27 climate conference in Egypt to visit his elder brother Nawaz Sharif.

In a tweet, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the premier was feeling unwell for the past two days and took a COVID-19 test on Tuesday on the doctor's advice, which returned positive.

She appealed to the nation and PML-N workers to pray for the prime minister speedy recovery.

This is the third time Shehbaz has tested positive for the virus, after having previously contracted COVID-19 earlier this year in January and in June 2020.

Quoting sources close to the Sharif family, the Geo News reported that Shehbaz got fever before leaving for the airport in London on Saturday and his family advised him not to travel, so he rescheduled his flight home on Sunday.

Meanwhile, President Arif Alvi wished Shehbaz a quick recovery.

Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chair Asif Ali Zardari also prayed for his speedy recovery. "It is hoped that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will recover soon and serve the country and the nation," he said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)