Pakistan toe the Taliban line, forbid ‘men in jeans’ and ‘women in tights’

Pakistan has issued a detailed dress code for school and college teachers in Islamabad banning them from wearing jeans, tights, t-shirts and slippers during duty hours as part of a strong crackdown. A report in Dawn states that Pakistan’s Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has prohibited both male and female teachers from wearing jeans and issued a set of guidelines on dress code and personal hygiene for teaching and non-teaching staff.

In the letter submitted by the FDE, the department requires all institutions/sections to ensure that their employees maintain ‘reasonable standards in their physical appearance and personal hygiene’. This includes regular haircuts, beard trimming, nail cutting, showering and applying deodorant.

A ban on tights for female teachers

The letter recommends women teachers and staff wear ‘appropriate simple and decent’ shalwar kameez, trouser, shirt with dupatta/shawl. According to the FDE, females who observe purdah may wear a scarf/hijab while ensuring that it remains clean and neat. No jeans or tights are allowed under any circumstances. Pakistan has also issued guidelines for footwear stating that formal shoes (pumps, loafers, mules) and comfortable shoes (sneakers, sandals) are permitted. Slippers have been prohibited.

T-shirts and jeans banned 
In a similar vein, instructions have also been issued to teachers and staffers telling them to avoid wearing jeans. According to Dawn, the letter stated ‘Wear an appropriate, simple, and decent shalwar kameez, preferably with a waistcoat, based on the weather conditions’. Dress in a dress shirt (full sleeves preferably with a tie) and trousers (only cotton pants or dress pants). In the summer, male staffers have been allowed to wear a half sleeves dress shirt or bush shirt, but t-shirts of all types are not allowed. Wearing slippers has also been prohibited for male staffers.

‘Males were required to wear shalwar kameez with waistcoat, shirt with tie (preferably jacket/coat), while females were required to wear event-appropriate decent clothing (shalwar kameez, trouser, shirt) with dupatta/shawl. Further, fancy or party clothes are not allowed in official gatherings or meetings of schools and colleges’.