ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) on Saturday asked chief commissioner to stop service staff of hotels, restaurants and marriage halls from wearing black coats and pants as it was against the dignity of legal profession.

IBC wrote a letter to the chief commissioner Islamabad for “issuance of a circular to all hotels, restaurants and marriage halls asking them to change their service staff dress code”.

The letter stated that “Islamabad Bar Council is the statutory and regulatory body of the lawyers of Islamabad Capital Territory under the Legal Practitioners & Bar Councils Act 1973. It came to our knowledge that, some hotels, restaurants, marriage halls staff wear a uniform similar to the uniform of the lawyers and judges, which is against the dignity of the noble legal profession.”

The letter further said that even a law graduate cannot wear proper uniform of a lawyer until or unless he passes the entry test and completes his six month training period for enrollment as an advocate it said adding “nobody is allowed to wear the uniform of lawyers except for the advocates enrolled with any provincial or Islamabad bar Council or Pakistan Bar Council.”

The letter warned of legal consequences for the person who wears lawyers’ uniform.

IBC requested the chief commissioner to issue a circular to all the hotels, restaurants and marriage halls asking them to change their service staff dress code.

The Punjab Bar Council also issued a similar letter to the administrations of various districts.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2021