4 min learnKochiAug 16, 2026 04:36 PM IST
Tearing into Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari over his feedback on the nation’s Hindu minority, legendary Indian screenwriter-lyricist Javed Akhtar claimed that the previous has all the time been “insensitive” to all the pieces round him. Alleging that Zardari shot to fame solely after his marriage to Benazir Bhutto, the previous prime minister of Pakistan, Akhtar additionally took an oblique swipe at him by weaving in his nickname, “Mr Ten Per Cent,” into his social media put up.
The controversy erupted after Zardari, whereas addressing a gathering throughout an occasion to mark Pakistan’s Independence Day, spoke about Hindus within the nation. Sustaining that Muslims in Pakistan are tolerant in the direction of Hindus, Zardari claimed that they like being in Pakistan to India.
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What did Asif Ali Zardari say about Hindu minorities in Pakistan?
“The Indians have a distinct viewpoint. They’ve their very own agenda in thoughts. They consider in Akhand Bharat. However there’s a lot in between which they’ve forgotten. We’re Muslims. They aren’t. However we’re Muslims of the mindset that we tolerate 3-4 per cent Hindu inhabitants in Pakistan. They’re as free, pretty much as good as wherever else they have been. They’d relatively be with us than be with them,” Asif Ali Zardari stated, as per a clip proven on CNN-News18.
Mr Zardari of Pakistan who had come into the limelight after Benazeer Bhutto had married says that they tolerate the 3-4 p.c Hindu inhabitants Lin their nation . I perceive Mr Zardari you might have all the time being insensitive to all below the solar which is lower than 10 % .
— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) August 15, 2026
In retaliation, Javed Akhtar took to social media to slam Zardari and mock him for his remarks. “Mr Zardari of Pakistan, who had come into the limelight after Benazir Bhutto had married him, says that they tolerate the 3-4 per cent Hindu inhabitants of their nation. I perceive, Mr Zardari, you might have all the time been insensitive to all below the solar, which is lower than 10 per cent,” he wrote on X (previously Twitter).
Why is Asif Ali Zardari referred to as ‘Mr Ten Per Cent’?
For the unversed, Asif Ali Zardari obtained the nickname “Mr Ten Per Cent” within the late Nineteen Eighties and early Nineteen Nineties over allegations that he used his spouse’s political energy to cost a ten per cent fee for acquiring permission to arrange any venture.
After the dismissal of the Bhutto authorities by then-President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990, caretaker Prime Minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi made sharp remarks about Zardari. He claimed that the latter charged a ten per cent fee from stakeholders for numerous authorities tasks.
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“A ten per cent fee needed to be paid to get permission for organising any venture. Commissions needed to be paid to get financial institution loans… Zardari is a celebration to all that occurred. He’s the kingpin,” Jatoi advised TIME in 1990. That’s how Zardari’s nickname “Mr Ten Per Cent” gained reputation.
Asif Ali Zardari turned the president of Pakistan for the primary time in 2008, months after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007. He served till 2013 and have become president of Pakistan once more in 2024.
Disclaimer: This text displays private opinions and political commentary concerning public figures and doesn’t represent skilled, monetary, or authorized recommendation.
