LAHORE - PTI’s female legislator in the Punjab Assembly is among 17 fresh casualties due to Covid-19 on Wednesday, raising death toll in the province to 290.
Shaheen Raza, 70, is the first casualty of a lawmaker not only in the province but from across Pakistan. Reportedly, she had not participated in the recently concluded session of the PA.
The pandemic has so far affected number of lawmakers in the upper and lower houses and different Provincial Assemblies but without any fatality till death of only Treasury legislator from Gujranwala. Ill fated political activist and social worker was tested positive for coronavirus from Wazirabad laboratory and was shifted to Mayo Hospital four days back.
She was put on ventilator on worsening of health condition. She was carrying co morbidities including diabetes and high blood pressure. As per Mayo Hospital management, Shaheen Raza succumbed to COVID-19 in the morning and her body was handed over to her heirs after completing formalities. She was laid to rest in her ancestral town later in the evening. Coronavirus had infected Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, treasury Senator Fida Muhammad, JUI-F Senator Ataur Rehman, JUI-F MNA Munir Orakzai, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, Minister for Education Sindh Saeed Ghani, Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari, Advisor to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Kamran Bangash and two MPAs Abdul Salam Afridi and Shafiq Sher Afridi.
Number of employees at PM House, National Assembly and Punjab Assembly have also infected by coronavirus. Prime Minister Imran Khan, Governor Punjab Ch Muhammad Sarwar, Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, PA Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi, cabinet members and legislators have expressed sorrow and grief over the sad demise of Saheen Raza.
They sympathized with the bereaved family members and prayed to the Almighty Allah to rest the departed soul in eternal peace.
Meanwhile, Primary and Secondary Healthcare (P&SH) Department released coronavirus fact-sheet, the death of 17 more COVID-19 patients on Wednesday raised death toll to 290 in Punjab, while confirmed cases of novel coronavirus raced to 16,685 with the addition of 709 new infections in the province. Out of 1,877 tested conducted upon healthcare workers, as many as 235 health personnel are diagnosed COVID19 positive with a ratio of 12.5 percent of the total tests performed of the medical professionals.
As per spokesperson of Corona Monitoring Room at P&SH Department, so far 180,540 tests have been performed in the province. Out of these, he said, 16,685 have been tested positive for the virus.
