ISLAMABAD, FEB 28: Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan has tested positive for coronavirus, it emerged on Sunday.

Khan, who was appointed to his position in February 2020, is representing the government in the presidential reference seeking the Supreme Court’s opinion on holding Senate elections through open ballot.

The top court will announce its opinion on Monday (tomorrow). As per the cause list, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, notices were issued to the AGP, chief election commissioner, Senate chairman and the speaker of the National Assembly. Additionally, notices were also sent to speakers of the four provincial legislatures, the advocates general of the four provinces, members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and others.

Several politicians, including Planning Minister Asad Umar, Industries and Production Minister Hammad Azhar, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari have tested positive for the virus since it was first detected in the country last year.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra also tested positive earlier and have since recovered.

Former Balochistan governor Syed Fazal Agha, PML-N Senator Kalsoom Parveen, PTI Punjab MPA Shaheen Raza, Sindh Minister for Human Settlements Ghulam Murtaza Baloch, MNA Munir Khan Orakzai and PTI’s Mian Jamshedud Din Kakakhel are among politicians who passed away after contracting the virus.

Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth also passed away due to Covid-19 in November of last year.

Overall, 579,973 people have tested positive in Pakistan so far while 12,860 have succumbed to Covid-19.