Islamabad, May 1: Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Thursday said he has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). "My coronavirus test has returned positive. I have quarantined myself in my house," Asad Qaiser revealed in a tweet in Urdu. "I request the entire nation to take precautions and to pray for my recovery," he added. He had met Prime Minister Imran Khan on April 24. Coronavirus Tracker Live News Updates.

Qaiser further said his son and daughter also contracted coronavirus. Qaiser is the latest Pakistani politician to have contracted the virus that has so far infected more than 16,000 people across Pakistan and killed 361. On Tuesday, independent Senator Mirza Mohammad Afridi had tested positive and subsequently went under isolation at his home in Lahore. Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal MPA Abdul Rasheed had last week contracted coronavirus. Mikhail Mishustin, PM of Russia, Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Will Self-Isolate.

Asad Qaiser's Tweet:

The Pakistan government has been persuading the opposition parties to hold a virtual session of the National Assembly or the lower house of the country's parliament after two parliamentarians tested positive of COVID-19. Qaiser was elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly or the lower house in 2018, beating PPP stalwart Khursheed Shah, who was fielded by an alliance of the opposition parties.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2020 12:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).