Pakistan: Lawmaker dies after recovering from COVID-19

KARACHI, Pakistan

A senior Pakistani lawmaker died of cardiac arrest early on Tuesday, just weeks after recovering from COVID-19, his family confirmed to local media.

Munir Khan Orakzai, 61, elected to the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan’s parliament, in 2018, had contracted coronavirus in April but recovered, local broadcaster ARY News reported, quoting family members.

He was rushed to the hospital after a heart attack on Monday night but did not survive, the family said.

He was a member of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, one of the country’s mainstream religious parties, and was elected to the National Assembly from Orakzai district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Last month, Orakzai fell unconscious during a during a parliamentary session, reportedly due to low blood pressure.

President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan, and National Assembly Speaker Asad were among several officials to offer condolences over the lawmaker’s death.