Punjab Police Clarifies CM Maryam Nawaz’s Right to Wear Police Uniform
Lahore – The Punjab Police issued a clarification on Thursday regarding Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz sharing wearing the police uniform. Maryam Nawaz had attended a passing out parade at the Punjab Police Training College in Lahore on Thursday dressed in the police uniform, which led to some criticism of the chief minister and Punjab police on social media.
In a statement posted on its official Twitter account, the Punjab Police said according to the “Punjab Police Dress Regulations”, Maryam Nawaz was eligible to wear the police uniform. The regulations allow the Governor and Chief Minister of Punjab to wear the police uniform on official occasions like parades and police functions in order to boost the morale of police officers.
The notification regarding the amendment to allow this was issued during the tenure of former Inspector General of Police Punjab Dr. Omer Saeed, under the former caretaker CM of Punjab Nasir Khoso.
Maryam Nawaz had addressed the passing out parade of recruits from the Lady Recruit Course and Lady Traffic Assistant Course at the police college on Thursday. Photos from the event showed her wearing the Punjab Police uniform, cap and sash. In her address, she expressed hope that women would soon make up half of the Punjab Police force.
She also spoke about ongoing reforms in the police as well as encouraging women police officers. However, her decision to wear the police uniform attracted more attention and debate on social media, with both praise and criticism. While some called it a powerful show of support for women police officers, others termed it a “stunt”.
The controversy over Maryam Nawaz’s police uniform comes as she has frequently made headlines since taking over as Punjab Chief Minister, partly due to her media management skills. From opening McDonalds franchises in girls’ schools to fixing a police officer’s turban during an official visit, her actions are often debated on whether they serve pragmatic goals or are mainly for publicity.
