Pakistan, May 4 -- President Asif Ali Zardari has approved a major salary increase for federal and state ministers through a new ordinance. Their monthly pay has been raised to Rs519,000, equal to the salary of National Assembly members.

Previously, federal ministers earned Rs200,000 and state ministers received Rs180,000 per month. The raise applies retroactively from January 1, 2025, as per the amendment to the 1975 salary law.

Alongside the salary hike, President Zardari also signed three other ordinances. One created the National Agri-trade and Food Safety Authority (NAFSA) to monitor food import and export standards.

The other two ordinances focused on tax recovery and city governance. The Tax Laws (Amendment) Ordinance targets un...