Former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi skips court hearing due to Covid
Pakistan
Former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi contracts Covid
KARACHI (Dunya News) - Former prime minister and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi tested positive for Covid, his lawyer told an accountability court in Karachi.
Mr Abbasi was to appear before the court in a case related to illegal appointments in the Pakistan State Oil (PSO). When the accountability court judge took up the case, the counsel said his client was unable to attend the hearing as he was suffering from Covid. However, other suspects appeared before court.
The judge later adjourned the hearing till Jan 16.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has accused Mr Abbasi of hiring people illegally during his stint as the petroleum minister in the PML-N’s government. The NAB claimed that he illegally appointed the Pakistan State Oil’s managing director and the deputy managing director.
Pakistan reported one death in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases surged to 1,575,665. The nationwide tally of fatalities jumped to 30,636 on Saturday.
According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), at least 13 people were tested positive for Covid across the country in the past 24 hours. Pakistan has conducted 4,403 tests in the past 24 hours, out of which 13 people were tested positive for the disease. The Covid Positivity Ratio was recorded at 0.30 per cent.
