LAHORE: A day after a Supreme Court judge chided Lahore’s deputy commissioner for not wearing a proper outfit, the Punjab government on Tuesday notified a dress code to be observed by the officials during office hours and while appearing before the courts.

A directive issued by the welfare department states that the officers of the government of Punjab are required to adopt appropriate dress code during the office timings and appearing before the courts of law. The officers have been directed to be mindful of maintaining officer-like demeanour and grace which reflects prosperity and decency in consonance with their professional roles.

“All the male officers working under your administrative control may be instructed to observe a proper dress code i.e. lounge suit/smart casual with closed collar shirt and tie or shalwar kameez with waistcoat along with appropriate footwear. In case of female officers, the dress code should be in line with office decorum and norms while being reflective of the formal nature of official duties,” says the directive issued to all divisional and deputy commissioners, all administrative secretaries and senior member Board of Revenue.

On Monday, Justice Mansoor Ahmad Malik of the SC at the Lahore registry admonished Deputy Commissioner Mudassir Riaz Malik for not properly dressing up during his appearance before a three-judge bench.

On a short notice, Punjab Chief Secretary Jawad Rafiq Malik also appeared before the court and assured the judges that the executive officers would be asked to strictly observe their dress during court appearances.

Justice Malik observed that the court did not want to hurt the feelings of anyone but to remind the officers of their responsibility. The judge said there was no law on the dress code of government officials but their outfit must be reasonable when they appear before courts.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2021