New Delhi: Newly elected Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari may have decided to forego his salary for the entire tenure but Pakistanis are not impressed with the charity. Rather they are calling the decision ‘pure theatrics,’ silly, performative, and the President ‘Mr Ten Percent!
Zardari falls under the list of the richest politicians in Pakistan. Several people have claimed that his earnings come from illegitimate sources and that he doesn’t need a salary at all. “The president prefers looting to drawing a salary,” one Pakistani X user wrote in a sarcastic tone.
Former Pakistani President Arif Alvi, on the other hand, drew a fixed salary of Rs 8,46,550 per month from the state’s exchequer.
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Pakistanis stand divided
So, what influenced Zardari’s move? Apparently, his country’s rising economic distress. “The President considered it essential not to burden the national exchequer and preferred to forego his salary,” the President Secretariat Press Wing said on Tuesday. According to a Bloomberg News report released last month, Pakistan sought a new loan worth $6 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This loan, it was claimed, would help the new government repay its exorbitant debt in 2024.
Some Pakistanis support Zardari’s decision to relinquish his presidential salary. “Ok No doubt good”, said one X user, while another person called Zardari “a great leader” for giving up his salary for a second time.
Supporting the decision, an X account said it is important to control the presidential palace’s expenditure.
Another user calculated the total salary the President would receive throughout his tenure ($181,8576), comparing it to his net worth of $1.8 billion.
Pakistanis, though differing in the extent of their praise and criticism, are worried about the lack of basic resources for the country. While metropolitan cities such as Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi are quite developed, other states have been left far behind.
After Zardari, Mohsin Naqvi, the country’s new Interior Minister, has also decided to forego his salary.
“Decided to forego my salary during this tenure. In these challenging times, committed to supporting and serving our nation in every possible way,” Naqvi wrote on X.