It seems to be a favourite topic for discussion; Pakistan military bashing. And while at it people almost always bring up the topic of military officers’ residential plots allotment. I accept the fact that there is a lot of undesirable stuff in the military too, and there are corrupt officers but there has to be slight insight into the actual process. Constant defaming without simultaneous mention of actual procedures and gerenal rules makes everyone look bad and creates paranoia.
The word ‘allotment’ while referring to military officers and their plots generally seems to be misunderstood or misused. As a matter of fact it’s not just colonels and generals who are allotted plots, every army officer is entitled to subscribe to the officers housing plans schemes etc and they are indeed ‘allotted’ plots by the Army’s choice, the senior or longer serving the officer, the larger the size, better the locality. But the officer isnt just gifted the ownership docs in ribbons upon retirement, a sum is deducted from their salaries each month and upon retirement they are eligible to own the plot only upon full payment of the remaining amount. Plus not all officers are allotted plots in DHA Karachi.
It’s just that the military looks after it’s people better. Sure there are those who work around the system and get hold of more than their share due through various means, but that’s not reason enough to smudge the entire process of alloting plots to military officers. Heck, 80% the population of Defense is non military background, so if there is corruption it’s shared equally by civil servants. If we can come across a Colonel with a 500 yd home in DHA, we come across ten Tax/Customs/Police officers with 500yd homes in the colonel’s street. Why not fuss about them as vocally too, because it’s their actions and lack of devotion to duty or corruption that affects the lives of common Pakistanis more as compared to military officers. Plus if DHAs all over the country are the most valuable places today, who made them valuable? the areas today referred to as DHA were just land at some point. The army acquired the areas for its needs. Like any dept can and could anywhere. the military developed the area and turned it into a valuable locality. Civilians loved it and started buying homes there too. My point being that DHAs were not gold mines that the military took hold of illegitimately. They acquired the lands by procedure, though subsidized like in any country, and turned it into a gold mine on its own, initially for its own people and then for all. I’m sure if given a choice many ppl would love to buy homes in Kharian cantt, Malir cantt, Wah cantt, because the military keeps it’s stuff straight. Can we start fussing over how the military has got hold some of the finest localities of the country to use as cantts!? Heck they made them that way.
Now if our civil land depts, ministries, district admins, and so on can not do the same for us the common man the civilian, it’s their fault and their failure. Not the military’s. We should curse the inept govt depts, ministers, provinical and federal govt officers, their slacking and their ill ways. Not the military. Had we had the courage or the right mind to do that, we as citizens of Pakistan might have snatched our rights from the people who come to serve us but rule over us-I mean the civil servants, elected leaders and politicians. And i mean not only those we have today, but majorly those that we have had on and off since the 1950s to the mid 1990s.
So I guess if an executive employee of one multinational concern has issues with the packages offered or being extended to his equals in a rival concern he ought to start questioning his company and those responsible for his benefits, packages, funds, plans and so on in his company. What would we call him if he started questioning the legitimacy, procedures, legality, suitablitities etc of the other company…!? Sure there must be some points he could raise his fingers on, but what should be of greater concern and significance to this person…?