Salutes Are to Be Returned
By Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd.)
Westridge, Rawalpindi
As young officers in the army we were taught that salutes were not to be acknowledged but to be returned. It is a sign of mutual respect. However, I noticed that during the recent visits of the Prime Minister to Quetta and China some members of the air crew of the PM’s special plane stood at attention as he alighted from the plane and dutifully saluted him. Sadly, instead of acknowledging the salutes with a wave of hand or nod of head, the PM nonchalantly walked past the crew entirely ignoring them and their salutes! His behavior almost smacked of arrogance.
No, Sir, Mr Prime Minister, courtesy demands that you should at least acknowledge the salutes and thank the crew for making your flight safe and pleasant before shaking hands with the lined-up dignitaries. Please allow me to say that most of us are not aware of such small matters of protocol and I do not blame them. It is the duty of the Protocol Officer or the PM’s Military Secretary to apprise him of such small protocol practices and courtesies.
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