Most people who join the army do so for stable income, guaranteed post-retirement security, and institutional privilege. Yet, in Pakistan, military service is ritualistically framed as exclusive national sacrifice, beyond questioning or comparison. This framing is not accidental; it has been cultivated for decades.
If military service is sacrifice alone, then why—upon retirement—are former officers expected not to compete in open society like other citizens but instead dominate business, education, welfare, health, construction, production, travel, tourism, IT, banking, agriculture, trading, think tanks, universities, media, transportation, and hospitality? Why must national service end where civilian life begins—except for one institution?
This contradiction sits at the heart of Pakistan’s civil-military imbalance.
The Status Economy of the Uniform
Army families—often referred to socially as “army brats”—inherit not just benefits but a status hierarchy. Civilian citizens are implicitly categorized as less patriotic, less committed, or less brave. The familiar refrain is endlessly repeated:
“Jab hum raat ko sukoon ki neend so rahay hotay hain, yeh foji sarhadon par kharay hotay hain.”
But guarding borders is not charity. It is a profession, compensated far above the national median, especially in a country where millions survive on less than $5 a day.
Pakistan’s armed forces receive:
