LAHORE, June 10: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal president Qazi Husain Ahmed says the federal budget has ignored the ground realities and aimed at benefiting the rich at the cost of the poor.

In his telephonic address to Jamaat-i-Islami Sindh workers attending a training programme at Jamia Mansoora here on Sunday, he said the cost of living had multiplied owing to inflation resulting from the economic policies but salaries of low-paid government employees had been raised by only Rs1,000. No increase had been announced in salaries of industrial and commercial sector employees.

He said the MMA was struggling for the restoration of the 1973 Constitution in its original form and general elections under an independent election commission for replacement of the present dictatorial regime with a democratic setup because it believed that the problems being faced by the people would continue to increase as long as the present government remained in power.

Jamaat deputy secretary-general Dr Farid Piracaha said the budget was a new attempt of the government to hoodwink the people by painting a rosy picture of the economy. The trade deficit and inflation were on the increase due to the failure of economic policies but the government was giving false hopes of a bright future to the people finding it difficult to make both ends meet in their limited incomes.

The pay and allowances required to be increased by a minimum 25 per cent and prices of essential commodities reduced by at least 15 per cent to provide relief to the people.