This is not really a debate about clothes. It is about how power is exercised in our institutions and how easily human dignity is sacrificed in the name of authority.

Pakistan is an independent country, yet in some of its most powerful civilian offices the atmosphere still belongs to another era. Anyone looking for traces of the British Raj does not need to open a history book. A visit to the offices and residences of Assistant Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Commissioners is often enough. There, the colonial mindset has not faded, it has settled in.

Inside these spaces, one often sees orderlies standing silently, hands folded, dressed in turbans, sherwanis or waistcoats. This attire is not required for their work. It does not improve efficiency or professionalism. Its purpose is symbolic. It turns a working individual into a visual accessory of authority,........

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