Tag: armed forces personnel

  • Pakistan’s security forces lost 386 personnel in 2023: report

    Pakistan’s security forces lost 386 personnel in 2023: report

    A recent Security Report released by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) reveals that Pakistan’s security forces lost at least 386 personnel, including 137 army soldiers, in the first nine months of the ongoing year, marking an eight-year high as the country continues to battle militant violence.

    The Islamabad-based think tank’s report states, “Over the past five years, there has been a consistent and alarming surge in violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces. Equally greater concern is the collective percentage of violence-related fatalities recorded in these two provinces which indicates a disturbing upward trend over the last five years; together, they suffered 72% of all fatalities in 2019, and this unsetting figure surged to a staggering 92% in the first 9 months of 2023.”

    There has been a trend of brutal attacks against religious congregations in the country, with more than 60 people losing their lives in two separate bombing incidents at a mosque and a gathering to mark the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birth anniversary on Friday.

    “Pakistan’s security forces lost at least 386 personnel, 36 percent of all fatalities – including 137 army and 208 police personnel – in the first 9 months of 2023, marking an eight-year high as the country continues to battle proxy terrorism, largely in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan,” the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said in its report released on Saturday.

    “With 1087 violence-related fatalities recorded so far during the year, the outlaws suffered 368 (34 percent), followed by civilians with 333 (31 percent) fatalities,” it added.

    The CRSS maintained there had been a consistent and alarming increase in violence in the two Pakistani western provinces over the past five years.

    Experts attribute the recent increase in militant violence and security forces casualties in Pakistan to the change of government in neighboring Afghanistan, saying it emboldened militant groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and fueled separatist violence in Balochistan.

  • 17.5% increase in pension announced for federal govt retirees

    17.5% increase in pension announced for federal govt retirees

    The government has issued a notification announcing a 17.5 per cent increase in the pension for federal government pensioners. The increase, sanctioned by the President, will be effective from 18th July 2023 until further orders. It applies to all civil pensioners of the federal government, including civilians paid from Defence Estimates, as well as retired armed forces personnel and civil armed forces personnel.

    The 17.5 per cent increase in pension will also be applicable to pensioners who retire on or after 1st July 2023. To determine the eligibility for the increase in pension as sanctioned in this notification, “Net Pension” refers to the pension being drawn minus the Medical Allowance.

    In addition, the increase will be granted to family pensioners under the Pension-cum-Gratuity Scheme of 1954, the Liberalized Pension Rules of 1977, pensions sanctioned under the Central Civil Services (Extra Ordinary Pension) Rules, as well as the Compassionate Allowance under CSR-353.

    If the gross pension sanctioned by the federal government is shared with another government in accordance with the rules stated in Part-IV of Appendix-III to the Accounts Code, Volume-I, the increase in pension will be divided proportionately between the federal government and the other government concerned.

    However, the increase in pension as sanctioned in this notification will not be applicable to the special additional pension granted in place of pre-retirement orderly allowance and the monetized value of a driver or an orderly.