President Zardari tests positive for coronavirus: physician

President Asif Ali Zardari has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently in isolation, according to a statement issued by the presidency on Wednesday.

Media outlets, quoting sources, had reported yesterday that President Zardari had been hospitalised in Karachi after being brought over from Nawabshah, where he had offered Eidul Fitr prayers.

The president’s personal physician, Dr Asim Hussain, was quoted as saying in the statement that following multiple tests, it was confirmed that Zardari tested positive for Covid-19.

“The president is suffering from coronavirus and he has been advised to remain in isolation at this time,” Dr Hussain said. “A team of experts is taking care of the president and his condition is improving.”

Earlier today, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said President Zardari’s health was improving and refuted reports of him being shifted to Dubai for medical treatment.

“The reports about President Asif Ali Zardari being shifted to Dubai for treatment is inaccurate,” Memon wrote on X in the wee hours of Wednesday, sharing a collage of sources-based media reports.

The minister, a key leader of Zardari’s PPP, said the president’s health was “improving and Inshallah (God-willingly), he will be fine very soon”.

In a message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed concern over the president’s health and prayed for his quick recovery.

The premier issued instructions to provide the best medical facilities to the president.

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq also contacted President Zardari to enquire about his health and expressed his best wishes for his recovery.

“The entire nation’s prayers are with you,” he added.

Earlier, PM Shehbaz had contacted the president to enquire about his health and wish him a speedy recovery.

PPP Senator Sehar Kamran, in a post on X, also wished the president “good health and a swift recovery”.

“May Allah Almighty grant him a long, happy, and fulfilling life. President Zardari is an icon of national unity, his resilience continues to inspire us all,” she wrote.

When reached out for a comment, a source close to the party had told Dawn.com that he was “undergoing some tests and would be discharged soon”.

A statement from the office of Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori said he called the president’s physician and asked about Zardari’s health while expressing his well wishes.

At 69 years of age, President Zardari has had multiple health issues in recent years.

He tested positive for Covid-19 in July 2022 but only experienced “mild symptoms”, according to his son and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

The president had fractured his foot while deboarding an aeroplane in October 2024. Following the fall, he was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment. After a check-up, the doctor placed his foot in a cast.

In March 2023, he underwent an eye surgery in the United Arab Emirates.

In 2022, Zardari was admitted to Karachi’s Dr Ziauddin Hospital for one week for treatment of a chest infection. Amid rumours of ill health, his personal physician and close aide Dr Asim had confirmed that he was “in good health”.

A year prior to that, Zardari was admitted to a private hospital in Karachi due to “exertion and exhaustion” caused by his frequent travelling.