Govt moves to remove pay anomaly for senior military officers

The federal government has decided to remove an anomaly in the pay structure of armed forces personnel from the rank of Brigadier and above, aligning it with the system applicable to civil employees and junior military ranks, Business Recorder reported. 

The proposal was presented by the Ministry of Defence to the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases (CCLC), which supported amendments aimed at addressing disparities in pay fixation and increments.

Officials said federal civil servants and Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) are allowed to opt for pay re-fixation upon promotion, including the option to draw annual increments on presumptive pay from their previous rank. However, this facility has not been available to officers from the rank of Brigadier and above.

Under existing rules, pay is fixed based on the date of promotion or assumption of charge. In cases where officers assume higher appointments before their formal date of commission, they may lose their annual increment for that year, affecting both salary and pension calculations.

The anomaly affects officers from Brigadier to Lieutenant General rank and has, in some cases, resulted in junior officers drawing higher pay than their seniors.

To address the issue, the General Headquarters has recommended amendments to the relevant rules. The proposed changes would allow pay for officers of Brigadier rank and above to be fixed at a stage above their existing pay, including rank pay.

If the increase is equal to or less than one increment, a premature increment would be granted. Officers promoted after completing at least six months of service following an annual increment in the lower rank would also have the option to fix their pay based on presumptive pay.

The proposal has received concurrence from the Adjutant General branch on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, as well as the Finance Division’s Military Finance Wing.