THIS is apropos of Cdr (Rtd) Khalid Durrani’s letter ‘Never-ending pleasure’ (Jan 19). I would like to say that the teaching profession is the most looked-down-upon in the armed forces.

I was a teacher in Cadet College, Petaro, in 1968 and joined the PAF in the education branch in search of honour and prestige. I spent 30 years in the PAF and always had a feeling that I was being discriminated against just because I was a teacher.

All education officers were considered children of a lesser god and were given derogatory names like a ‘schooli’ or a ‘master’. I heaved a sigh of relief when I retired from the PAF and joined a reputable institution as a teacher. I felt as if my lost honour and prestige had been restored and I was not being treated as an unequal among equals.

I urge the armed forces to inculcate love and respect for knowledge, books and teachers in their institutions. I assure them there is no dichotomy between soldiering and knowledge.

AIR CDRE (Rtd) KHAYYAM DURRANI    Karachi