Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari believes it is important not to burden the country’s finances.
Islamabad:
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari announced on Tuesday his decision to forego his salary while in office, citing economic challenges facing the country, The Tribune reported.
A statement released by the Presidential Secretariat said: “In view of the current economic challenges, President Zardari has decided not to receive a presidential salary. He has taken this decision to encourage prudent financial management of the country.”
The statement added that the president believed it was crucial not to burden the country’s finances and therefore preferred to forego his salary.
According to The Express Tribune, newly sworn-in Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has also decided not to receive a salary while in office.
Taking to social media platform X, Naqvi said he was committed to serving the country “in every possible way” during challenging times.
According to “Dawn” report, on March 10, Asif Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, was sworn in as the 14th President of Pakistan, officially taking over as the head of state for the second time in history.
It is worth noting that Zardari is the only civilian candidate other than the military chief to be elected head of state for a second time. Previously, he served as President of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, Zardari received 411 electoral votes on Saturday, defeating his opponent, Pashtun Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai , the latter could only get 181 votes.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faiz Issa presided over the oath-taking ceremony of Zardari at the Presidential Palace in Islamabad today. They were flanked by newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and outgoing President Arif Alvi.
Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Shaheer Shamshad Mirza and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were also present.
Zardari is also one of four democratically elected presidents to complete a five-year constitutional term, Dawn newspaper reported.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
