Whether a 'relief' dream of downtrodden poor in Pakistan comes true, or is shattered, may be clear late on Monday evening when the government unveils the federal budget for 2006-07 in the National Assembly.
There have already been a lot of rhetorics on the part of the government that the budget this time around would be pro-poor and would help reduce the hardships of the unprivileged classes.
But hopes the poor segments of Pakistan's economically engulfed society for whom inflation has turned life a burden will receive something they can call 'enough' are very little.
State Finance Minister Omar Ayub Khan will present the budget. The session will start at 1730 hours in the heavily guarded Parliament House in the wake of some threats of terrorist strikes, of late.
Later on, in the same evening, the budget document will also be laid before the Senate.
The whole nation, especially those needing some special handling for an exit from a 'vicious' poverty circle, will watch with great attention as to what the government offers them.
"Let's see what (cat) comes out of the government's bag: whether it comes (out) or not," has been a buzz word in this town a day ahead of the budget.
Sitting in tea stalls and offices, people have a short time ago started guessing about the budget, but they do not look much enthusiastic, perhaps due to past experiences.
"We have been given such assurances in the past, but...how can we believe what we are hearing this time?" commented a government employee who did not look convinced that the budget would help herald the dawn of prosperity for him and people like him.
As government officials from top to bottom have lately been claiming to come up with something 'extraordinary' for them, households are already in dreams that the budget would reduce their hardships.
Those who will watch the proceedings, with eyes wide open, are millions of government employees and pensioners. There are rumours and guess works about how much raise in salaries they would get.
Being fixed income groups, they (government employees and pensioners) are more vulnerable to inflation that has for some times been in double digit (hyper-inflation) during the outgoing fiscal.
All, including salaried class, will anxiously be waiting as to what plane the government comes out with to control a skyrocketing trend of price hike especially that of food items.
The finance managers have already promised not to let inflation go beyond seven percent in the coming fiscal year. Omar Ayub gave one of such assurances in the Senate during the last session.
Besides poor, households and salaried class, the interest of business community, industrialists, importers/exporters and farmers will also not be limited in the budget. They, too, will look for what kind of concessions the government offers them to help 'play their part' in the country's growing economy.
The most anxious will be those who are in real estate and capital market business. These powerful individuals do not want the government to tax whatever they are getting.
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