Over the last couple of years, a number of ex-colleagues and friends have retired from government service, and others are on the verge of retirement. For many of them, even though they might not admit it, life has come to an end.

Having been to a few send-offs thrown by their fellow- workers, I can attest to the funereal quality of these occasions with the retiring official presented with copies of the Quran to study in their now unlimited free time. In Pakistan, retirement is equivalent to a loss of power, perks and relevance.

Before I took early retirement to join the private sector, many retired senior colleagues would drop in to have a cup of tea and boast about the brave memos they had written. Their entire lives seemed to revolve around their official careers, and once they had hit the age of sixty, they went into a sharp mental and physical decline. Without outside interests and hobbies to sustain them, and without the privileges associated with power to feed their egos, they were among the walking dead. Small wonder, then, that even on the verge of retirement, civil servants use all their contacts and clout to somehow gain an extension in service.

If it is any consolation to them, let me inform this tribe that their counterparts in France are up in arms because the government is changing retirement rules to extend the working life of civil servants. In the West, most public and private sector executives look forward to their retirement, having made plans years ago. But now with people living longer than ever before, there is a real debate about 'ageism'. In the UK, legislation will soon be passed banning upper age limits for jobs advertised in the media. In the civil service, retirement age will be flexible with employees being able to opt out after completing a certain number of years of service.

Another factor occupying the minds of sociologists, economists and politicians is the demographic pattern emerging in the West. With a declining growth rate, the population is ageing; and with a smaller work force to sustain retired men and women, it is becoming more difficult to maintain the standard of living without importing workers from abroad. But this, as we have seen, creates its own social and political problems. As people grow older, they consume more medical and social services without paying taxes or contributing to the economy. With a rising population, this did not matter as much, but with a rapidly changing demographic profile, these problems are coming increasingly to the fore.

At the individual level, how does a growing number of old people affect society? In Pakistan, we are often horrified at the very idea of allowing aged parents to cope for themselves. For us, this is a reflection of the callousness and selfishness we see rampant in the West. If a Pakistani couple emigrates to seek their fortune overseas leaving their parents at home, this is considered a serious dereliction of duty. Many dutiful friends place their parents before their children in their emotional and financial priorities.

But in the West, very few old people would wish to live with their children, much preferring the independence of running their own establishment. For them, household chores are things they are used to and pose no great problem. Even in their eighties, they drive, visit friends, sail, go abroad on holiday; in short, they continue leading their own lives and would not dream of imposing on their children. By the same token, they would not want their grown-up children to treat them as baby-sitters with whom they can dump their kids when it suits them.

In our part of the world, there is a horror of placing aged parents in an old people's home. One reason, of course, is that such institutions barely exist in Pakistan. But beyond that is our perception of the heartlessness behind such a decision: we are sure strangers could not possibly look after our parents as well as we could. But the reality is very different. Modern homes are comfortable and staffed with highly trained and motivated professionals. Entertainment and social activities are planned for the aged who have instant medical attention available to them.

The two approaches reflect two completely different attitudes to life and relationships. In the subcontinent, we are far more conscious of what other people would say about us. A successful Pakistani whose old parents insist on living on their own would feel that he is not being a good son in the eyes of society. He would therefore use all kinds of emotional blackmail, including the needs of their grandchildren, to coax them to move in with him. Their needs would be secondary to his social standing. In the West, the virtues of independence are inculcated from an early age, and young people are encouraged to set up their own homes as soon as they start working.

Another reason for this divergence in attitudes is that as a society, we are not used to long life-spans. Traditionally, retirement is soon followed by decline and death. We would therefore like to be seen to be caring for infirm, ailing parents. Increasingly, however, the reality is that people live healthy lives for up to (and often more than) two decades after their official retirement. Physically and mentally, they have the capacity to contribute gainfully to society for years. This fact is being given increasing recognition in the West.

It is difficult to say if either system is better. Clearly, socially and economically backward countries like Pakistan have made very few provisions for the aged, and so it is more difficult for them to live on their own without servants and a support system. But the western approach of giving the old the opportunity to live independent and productive lives is clearly an attractive option. Far too often in Pakistan, old people are made to feel they are a burden on their children.

But it is inevitable that in societies with a rapidly growing population, the old take a back seat. Our economies do not generate enough jobs, so people have to retire at an artificially fixed cut-off date. Only mature societies can invest in facilities that make it easier for the old to maintain their independence and dignity.