Photo: AFP/Ahmed Raza Soomro
Eurasia
13/03/2024 15:51
"The President considered it essential not to burden the national exchequer and preferred to forgo his salary", President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release on Tuesday.
Former president Arif Alvi was drawing Rs 8,46,550 per month, which was fixed by Parliament in 2018.
Zardari is one of the richest politicians in Pakistan.
Zardari, co-chairman of the PPP, took oath as President of Pakistan for a second term at a ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad on Sunday.
Separately, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, following the steps of Zardari, also decided to forego his salary while in office citing the economic challenges faced by the country.
Taking to X, Naqvi said that he committed to serving the nation in challenging times "in every possible way".
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping may hold their first face-to-face since Trump’s return to office, with the APEC summit in South Korea the most likely stage. Trump has linked the meeting to a breakthrough on trade, while Xi has extended an invitation to Beijing, offering both sides a chance to ease mounting strains.
A bipartisan U.S. House delegation led by Rep. Adam Smith will visit China later this month, the first such trip since 2019. Beijing confirmed the plan on Wednesday, with Smith stressing the importance of reviving dialogue between the two powers.
China’s Defense Ministry announced that China, Russia, and Mongolia have held their first-ever joint border defense drills, dubbed Border Defence Cooperation 2025.