# Javed Akhtar slams Zardari over ‘tolerate Hindus’ remark 2026-08-16T12:35:43+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Lyricist Javed Akhtar has attacked Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari for saying Muslims in Pakistan “tolerate” the country’s Hindu population. Akhtar called Zardari “insensitive to all under the sun which is less than 10 per cent”, in a post on X. Zardari made the comment during Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations, comparing Hindus in Pakistan and India. “We tolerate 3-4 per cent Hindu population in Pakistan. They are as free, as good as anywhere else they were,” he said, according to a CNN-News18 clip. Akhtar’s dig referred to Zardari’s nickname “Mr Ten Per Cent”, which dates to the 1990s over allegations he demanded a 10 per cent commission on government projects. Zardari has denied the allegations. India TV News and The Times of India both reported the exchange. ## Coverage - indiatvnews.com - timesofindia.indiatimes.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-17T02:52:52+00:00. Tags: Asif Ali Zardari, Hindus, Javed Akhtar, Pakistan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/javed-akhtar-slams-pakistan-president-for-tolerate-hindus-remark/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/javed-akhtar-slams-pakistan-president-for-tolerate-hindus-remark/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/