THIS is with reference to Haseen Ahmed Siddiqui’s letter ‘Plight of old pensioners’ (Dec 24). While endorsing his views, I would like to add that I am a former Pakistan Air Force officer who retired in 1987 and a pensioner ever since.

My last salary was close to Rs4,000 and my present pension is around Rs6,000 because it is calculated on the last salary drawn. Therefore, be it the year of retirement (1987) or for that matter any year till the mid-1990s (till to date) when the salaries of all government employees started to increase tremendously, the pensioners retiring about 20 years ago or so started to feel the pinch due to rising prices and inflation.

The older age, apart from family and children’s marriageable age/education, is another issue in which one has to buy expensive medicines and go for costly treatments, check-ups, etc.

Therefore, I strongly urge the government and the authorities concerned that it is time to have mercy on us and make ‘one rank/appointment, one salary/pension’ system for its pensioners, i.e., a person regardless of his date of retirement should get the pension equivalent to the present-day rank/appointment with regular increments in consistency with the government service that he served.

The government may arrange these additional funds by reducing its own expenses, as the old pensioners need more of the welfare.

MUHAMMAD ASIF Karachi