Quaid’s dress: our national identity

E-Paper | July 22, 2026

INSTEAD of shedding colonial mindset right at the outset, we continue to adhere to it even after independence. So far we have not made any significant effort to preserve our national dress etc. This leads to an identity crisis.

The Jinnah cap and sherwani are associated with the Quaid. It is also regarded as the official dress worn by the Father of the Nation. The great Pakistani leaders of the past like Liaquat Ali Khan, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, Khwaja Nazimuddin, Qazi Muhammad Essa and Sir Shah Nawaz Khan used to wear the Jinnah cap and sherwani.

Muslim Leaguers also wore the dress frequently after independence. Many judges of the superior courts wear sherwani while sitting in courts.

Ironically, the tradition of wearing Jinnah cap and sherwani is fading. We seem to be disrespecting rather ridiculing our great Quaid’s dress. The media should play its due role in highlighting the importance of wearing our national dress on public occasions and international events.

MOHSIN RAZA MALIK Lahore

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Nauman

Jul 08, 2013 12:02pm

The colonials built schools, colleges, universities, courts, office administrative buildings, parks, canals etc. Then, why is it taking so long for you guys to get rid of them from outset and build something Islamic in appearance and in practice? Quaid is history as far as Pakistan is concerned since the desecration of the Ziarat. Sad to say nothing more of him will be known in decades to come.Just perhaps a cursory name in our text books - if ever that.

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iqbal carrim

Jul 08, 2013 02:30pm

Western suits and ties are perfectly in harmony with European temperatures which rarely exceed 20`C in a year.They have been well designed to adapt such dresses to the weather.In Pakistan,however with temperatures varying between 25`C and 35`C in the most populated areas and for much of the time, blind adoption of such dresses finally bring the weather to adapt to them ! Awkward indeed.

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fida sayani

Jul 08, 2013 02:39pm

I rather adopt Jinnah

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Mustafa Afzal

Jul 08, 2013 03:41pm

Well said ! I just want to add up a few more. Shalwar kurta or kameez are also one of our national dress codes and are Mustahab (liked in Islam). And I think it suits more our climate than any other western clothing even if its their shorts, because they are made of thicker stuff! ***I wonder every cultural clothing of any region of Pakistan (specially men) are according to the Sunnah, Having a cap or paggri as head-wear, shalwar, pajama, or dhoti as lower-wear and kurta, kameez or sherwani as upper-wear in it, what else we need??*** If we wanna be a respectful nation (ummah), we should adhere Islamic values in our living(personal, family, professional life), clothing, and in our behavious etc aswell!

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Guest63

Jul 08, 2013 05:05pm

@fida sayani: Absolutely Right and to the Point . Giving not only a clod shoulder But out rightly rejecting his ethics, values and principles , considering his dress as the item to be of any significance importance is anpure hypocracy of the lowest ebb .

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Agha Ata

Jul 08, 2013 05:23pm

National dress should be worn at special occasions. Not in everyday life. Look at the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, or any developed country. Our national dress, like many other countries nationals dress is not comfortable for brisk physical work. pants and shirts or suites is an international dress now. Please do not kill it at the alter of our sentiments.. Moulana Fazal ur Rehman would object to it, too, but in his eyes his dress should be worn by all.

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excalibur

Jul 08, 2013 05:35pm

A national legacy is essentially an identity that needs to be adopted and nurtured to reflect a sense of pride in what we are. Unfortunately though the Quaid's attire has been knowingly relegated to the bearers , qasid's and peons in the Parliament and other government offices while our legislators and functionaries strut around in ill fitting ( owing to bloated/unhealthy bodies ) Western clothes. The change has to come from the top .Also Jinnah's dress can be worn in all seasons using appropriate fabrics.

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Anoop

Jul 08, 2013 06:03pm

So Jinnah wore it, so it should is awesome. Jinnah also drank things which is forbidden for a Muslim and ate pork. I wonder if the logic extends to that as well.

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PATHANOO

Jul 08, 2013 07:06pm

It is NOT the dress but the MINDSET that is important.

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NOOR

Jul 08, 2013 09:37pm

GOOD SUGGESTION? But it alone won't help in ending identity crisis. We have to to a lot of other things.

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Razzaq

Jul 09, 2013 02:47am

Has anyone seen any Sindhi, Balochi, Punjabi or Pushton wearing Jinnah cap after 1960? Ayub Khan and Z.A.Bhutto were the last of the leaders to wear Jinnah Caps. I never saw ZAB wearing what his son in law wears. Now if this is not promoting provincialism and ethnicity that what is this? In my personal opinion Pakistanis started overdressing themselves after the late 50s without due consideration of the climate they live in, and now when they are facing energy crises, they complain but still be seen overdressed. Funny.

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ssf

Jul 09, 2013 08:00am

I don't know what this letter writer is talking about, Jinnah wore western dresses through out his life and may be in few occasions might have worn sherwani which is ok but he was just a western oriented man and wanted Pakistanis to wear practical dresses for the country to progress. Can you imagine workers in hot climate wearing sherwani.

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syed

Jul 09, 2013 11:14am

Qaids favorite dress and life style was European. He wore western dress when he met Mountbatten last time in India i.e just before independence. It is the character which matters not the dress. Highly proud Chinese and Japanese have adopted western dress for all occasions.

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