IESM: Maj Gens Pension Parity still denied by MOD

Dear Brigadier Kamboj,
Gen Roy Chowdhury wrote a very fine article recently titled "For ex-servicemen, parity in rank, pension long over due". I completely agree with conclusive intonations in the piece. However, my other reaction to his article is given at the attachment.
Regards
K Khorana
For ex-servicemen, parity in rank, pension long over due- February 25th, 2009
By Shankar Roychowdhury

Recently, a retired COAS talked of the umbilical relationship between serving and retired soldiers but unfortunately realisation of that relationship came to him somewhat late in the day. It is not my purpose to castigate any ex chief or the institution of COAS but to highlight the damage done by them to their umbilical kin. Over six decades they have become used to maintaining deafening silence when it comes to army’s retired and elder community – some two and a half million or so. It is due to that umbilical relationship that a soldier is a soldier whether serving or retired.

Let it be emphatically said that it is due to the abandonment by the serving hierarchy that today there are myriad ESM organizations looking to find justice from ‘civilian leaders’ of the country. They feel failed at the hands of their serving umbilical kin.

It is amazing, that, all the while Maj Gens were ‘fighting’ their case in the law courts, the serving hierarchy was not only quiet but actively opposing the judgement and directions of the Punajab and Haryana High Court (in favour of the generals), as part of the government (MOD) contingent. It is even more amazing that while the above case seeking relief against gross injustice was being actively waged by a handful, a serving chief soon to retire was in the process of obtaining government’s nod for additional perks and privileges for all Chiefs in retirement, in the form of “Chiefs’ Conclave”. Somewhere along the line the second stanza of Chetwode edict stood obliterated.

Lastly, it is a fact that retired soldiers are a difficult and a disparate lot. Each one considers himself the tallest of military leader. For all that he could not achieve while in service he tries to notionally achieve when retired. Their attitude is most conducive to disunity on all issues and most conducive for authorities, who have to deal with them, for their further marginalisation. OROP has achieved some unity and sense of purpose. It needs to be built upon and not frittered away in turf wars within ESM organizations.