ISLAMABAD: The newly elected president of the Pakistan Ex-Ser­vicemen Society (PESS) has slam­m­­ed a “sinister campaign” being run against the military and stressed that all former servicemen, airmen, sailors and youth of the civil armed forces stood behind the army.

Speaking at a press conference along with other PESS office-bearers on Wednesday, Abdul Qayyum said that the veterans’ body had the status of a non-governmental organisation and couldn’t be used as a political entity.

However, Mr Qayyum, a retired lieutenant general, emphasised that PESS members reserved the right to join a political party in their personal capacity and exercise their vote freely.

Answering a question about multiple businesses being run by the military, he said all such organisations were registered and meant for the welfare of retired officers and soldiers. He said these organisations mostly employed retired army officials.

He referred to the problems of army officers who retire at a young age, insisting that they couldn’t make ends meet with meagre pensions. He said the widows of martyrs of the 1965 and 1971 wars also received too little in pension and noted that many economic and social problems arose in the absence of male breadwinners in the house.

Mr Qayyum, elected as PESS president at its 60th state council meeting last week, said these young pensioners in their 40s couldn’t afford to raise and educate their young children on a pension alone. Besides, many veterans had land disputes and litigation issues for which they needed help, he said.

He said there was also no special incentive for ‘Ghazis’ and no special facilities for elderly soldiers.

“Realising this, an ex-servicemen society was established in the 1980s, which was formally registered on Dec 5, 1991. This society has the status of an NGO and cannot be used for any political purpose,” he said.

The Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society got mired in controversy in September when the Ministry of Defence, in an unusual statement, challenged the body’s claim of representing the retired service members, saying it had not been authorised to do so. The ministry’s move had come amid criticism of the army’s previous leadership by retired military officers.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2023