IslamabadL Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's newly-elected President serving since March 10, decided not to draw any salary during his tenure amidst "economic challenges" in the country.
"In view of the prevailing economic challenges, President Zardari has decided that he will not draw his presidential salary. He took this decision to encourage prudent financial management in the country," said a statement released by the President's Secretariat.
Zardari, running as the candidate of the ruling alliance, secured his second presidential term after a significant victory over Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who was supported by the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
This marked Zardari's second successful election as President, having previously served as the 11th president of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013. Furthermore, Zardari has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018.
In a similar move, Mohsin Naqvi, the newly appointed Interior Minister of Pakistan, has also opted 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," he said in a post on X on Tuesday.
Pakistan is wrestling with economic challenges as the cost of goods continues to rise. The newly appointed government requires a fresh loan from the International Monetary Fund, and its rich politicians often use such strategies to gather support from the impoverished population.
In February last year, the Cabinet under then-Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif renounced their salaries and other benefits to help the country tackle its external liabilities.
During the inaugural cabinet meeting following the induction of 19 members on Monday, Prime Minister Sharif emphasized that the primary challenge for the financially strained government is to control inflation and stabilize food prices. Sharif also mentioned that Pakistan is facing massive challenges and a deep surgery is required to pull the country out of the existing economic crisis.