Replied by(nrqazi) Replied on (4/Dec/2007)

GIVE ARMED FORCES THEIR DUE CREDIT
Please note that all governement departments get government lands at throw away governement prices. Some of the examples are postal employees colonies near stadium road, judicial employees colony and if you go around university road and near safoora goth, in Karachi and around rawat area in Pindi you will find scores of government departmental housing societies.
The only difference is Army manages it to a level where they become elite housing societies of country. However, it only hurts people when they become prime properties. When Army got defence housing authorities lands in karachi & Lahore, way back in early 1970s, you couldn't find a taxi to go towards that side on payment, let alone public transport. the Morgah lands in Rawalpindi were known for 'addas' of criminals. & obvioulsy the second factor is since Army gets it in bulk for whole Army so again it pinches in the eyes of all.

Thirdly, everyone pays for it, whether its a house or land, but at governement rate and not at commercial (market) rate.; just as forest department or judicial employees or postal employees pay at governement rate.

Now coming to perks, Armed fprces officers get more or less the same perks as all other governement departments or for that matter MNAs/ MPAs/ senators. The only difference is that whereas a grade 17 officer of civil has the excusive use of a governement car for his offcial & private use, it doesn't start in armed forces till about grade 19 or 20. In civil departments, the children and relatives of 'sahabs' are authorized to drive official vehicles to wherever & whenever they please, all armed forces vehicles are driven by official drivers and invariably return to base on competion of journey which is properly documented. A general may have probably 3 staff cars all with drivers and every km documented, a grade 20 civilian officer may have upto 10 cars, two for him, 2 for begum sahiba, 3 for kids, one for groceries, one for security officials and rest as standby. I once visited an administrator KMC and he had 18 official vehicles standing at his home at night.

Although misuse of governement transport is an offence, in armed forces it only happens at very senior levels and that too has a sort of official coverage where they do not draw their offcial conveyance allowance and are then authorised to use govt. vehicles for private use, whereas in civilian departments, there is no such restriction or for that matter tracebility / accounting of fuel/ distance covered.
We only not ethe armed forces b=vehicles because they have unique markings.

Please note that till probably a lt.col rank, there is no family life and a unit commander has to stay with his troops in field area on all eids etc. We only see the perks of armed forces officers in karachi, lahore & Islamabad. Please visit border areas sometime and see the life of officers and men. Award of agricultural land is very selective and a highly controlled privillege for only the most distinguished and fighting arms officers. Its a small price to pay in return for the no electricity, no running water, no holiday life that they live in their prime youth

Almost all CSS officers start life as middle class boys struggling for a career, somehow by the time they are Grade18, all of them have 'family business incomes' or 'incomes from wife's inheritance. They live in palacial homes and the the excuse is that they have income from family business. Typically an SHO is assigned to 'generate' the house rent of an SP's privately hired house and on top of that he also draws house rent from governement since he is not getting availing official accomodation.