Minister dies of coronavirus in Pakistan's Sindh province

A provincial minister died on Tuesday due to coronavirus in southern Sindh province as Pakistan's COVID-19 death toll crossed 1,600-mark. Sindh Minister for Human Settlement Ghulam Murtaza Baloch had tested positive for the coronavirus on May 14. He had announced his diagnosis on Twitter and asked for prayers for a speedy recovery, Dawn newspaper said.

On May 23, he was shifted to the ICU of a private hospital in Karachi after his health started to deteriorate, the paper said. "Baloch died due to the coronavirus. He was a brave and diligent member of the PPP. It will be a difficult task to replace him," Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said in a statement.

Earlier Tuesday, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Munir Khan Orakzai died, days after recovering from the coronavirus. Irfanullah Khan Orakzai, the deceased lawmaker's nephew, said his uncle had tested positive for the coronavirus in April but made a full recovery and last tested negative on May 8.

Irfanullah said when the family tried to wake Munir up for morning prayers, he did not respond, upon which he was immediately taken to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.