Pakistan New President Salary: Pakistan’s newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari will not take salary. In the announcement on Tuesday (12 March 2024), he said that he will not take any salary during his tenure to help the country facing cash crunch. 68-year-old Zardari was sworn in as the 14th President of Pakistan on Sunday.
“The President considered it necessary not to put a burden on the national exchequer and preferred to forgo his salary,” the President’s Secretariat press wing said on Tuesday. Former President Arif Alvi used to get Rs 8,46,550 per month, this salary was fixed by the Parliament in 2018. Zardari is considered one of the richest politicians of Pakistan.
Minister also forgoes salary
According to Rediff News, following Zardari’s footsteps, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has also decided to forgo his salary citing the economic challenges facing the country. On the issue, Naqvi said he is committed to serving the country in ‘every possible way’ in these challenging times. Deep in debt, Pakistan is struggling with economic pressure and prices of goods are skyrocketing.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also raised the issue of economic crisis in the first cabinet meeting after the inclusion of 19 members on Monday. He said that the first test of the newly elected government of the country which is facing cash crunch is to control inflation and food prices.
Government’s priority to reduce inflation
Sharif said that the biggest challenge is to bring inflation under control. However, the government will make efforts in collaboration with the provincial administration to reduce the prices of essential commodities. He said, ‘This is our first test.’ Sharif said that Pakistan is facing huge challenges and ‘deep surgery’ is needed to bring the cash-strapped country out of the economic crisis.
