June 04, 2006	Sunday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 7, 1427

KARACHI, June 3: Most of those who earn much less than what they need believe that the budget has already come. Their concept of budget is very simple: they have lost faith in the government.

“Budget increases prices and it happens every year,” said Rashid, a motor mechanic. He says he is afraid of the budget but this time it has already come in the shape of higher prices of sugar, atta, ghee, meet, vegetables and other food items.

Small traders, shopkeepers, bakers and sweetshop owners are found depressed. They do not attach any hope with the new budget. All of them have unanimously rejected any positive move for a cut in prices.

“Prices never came down in this country. It will not happen again,” said Akram, manager of Aalam Sweets in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. He said higher sugar and ghee prices compelled him to increase prices up to 30 per cent which certainly hit the sales,” said Mr Akram.

Their feeling of hatred towards the ruling class is clear. They say the people of this class have money and they become rich which is evident from the latest cars on the roads. They said only the poor class had been ignored.

The middle and lower middle class showed great concerns over the price hike and did not like to discuss the budget, as they believe it never brings any change for them.

“We do not understand the budget. The minister will give a lot of figures and huge money will be involved but I just want to know how much a common person like me will get out of this budget,” said Sehar Akbar, a government school teacher.

The poor and lower middle class mainly complain of rising food prices, but living in Karachi brings many different kind of inflation for them. They are blindly against the government and its decisions. They say the transportation cost has gone up so high that it is difficult for them to even reach their workplaces regularly.

“I used to go to my work at the Korangi industrial area from North Karachi which costs me Rs50 daily. It amounts to around Rs1,500 per month while I get a salary of Rs4,000 per month,” said Anwar Ustad, an electrician. He also works privately till late night to earn more.

A number of working poor who could hardly manage to feed themselves are not interested in hearing anything about the budget or the government. A salesman at a grocery shop says he gets only Rs2,000 per month and has to save half of the salary for sending it to his parents in Abotabad. “My income will be same and I cannot see my parents as I will have to spend about Rs1,000 to reach Abotabad,” says Saleem. He could not see his parents for the last three years.

The owner of the same grocery shop said the price hike would affect him too, though he would increase margin of profit. He said inflation covers every sector and a trader also has to pay the cost of inflation on various accounts.

“Although I am selling 1,000 items in my shop, the rent of shop is increasing and my house rent has also gone by 40 per cent in the last two years,” said Agha Jameel. “I am now 60 and I never saw a decrease in prices or relief for common people.”

The question — why does the government not care for the general public — produced almost the same answer from every quarter. “The government spends more on it and ministers are making money.”

They all are against the government and the ruling class but lack words to express their hatred. Most of the poor even do not have demands except to see a reduction in atta, sugar and ghee prices.

“I live without water and most of the time without electricity in a kachi abadi. My family just think about food. When we earn more we have better food and that is all,” said Asim, a 17-year-old fruit seller.

It has been observed that majority of the people living in Karachi are not interested in hearing about the budget. It indicates that their hopes are dying and their attachment with the government is largely shrinking and this may be reflected in the coming general elections next year with low turnover of votes.