Minister of State Omar Ayub Khan has announced a fifteen percent increase in the salaries and pensions of the government employees, as envisaged in the Federal Budget 2007-08 proposals. But will the measure provide the much-needed relief to the salaried class? Certainly not! This will mean illusive, given the conditions.
The proposed increase is obviously not proportional to the increasing inflation rate registered during recent times. Prices of essential commodities and food items registered sharp rise just before the announcement of the budget 2007-08 and continue to rise constantly.
A government official commented on the situation, amending a quotation: "The two ends just don't meet. Whenever I feel that I am close to meeting both the ends, the budget moves the ends farther." Another says, "my problem lies in the reconciling my gross expenses with my net income."