Notice to Musharraf
By Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd.)
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
As reported in a section of the press the Chief Justice added the word ‘Retired’ after General in the notice he was dictating to be served to General Musharraf. As the court’s orders and notices, especially of the apex court, must be meticulously correct and complete in all respects, I would respectfully draw their attention to the correct way of writing the name of a retired army officer. It starts with the last rank held, followed by the officer’s full name and the word Retired written in the last in parenthesis. General Musharraf’s name, for example, should be written as: General Syed Pervez Musharraf (Retd).
This standard practice can be verified from the GHQ (AG’s Branch) or from the Internet: the name of a retired army officer of any army of the world would appear in this manner. However, while addressing a retired army officer in person only his/her rank is used and ‘retired’ is dropped.
