Dhaka
The Mohammad Yunus government’s attempt to do moral policing like the Taliban in Bangladesh has fallen on his face. The Central Bank of Bangladesh had issued an order saying that the office women officers will not be allowed to wear short dress, short sleeves and leggings.
Three days ago, the central bank of Bangladesh asked women employees to come to office wearing ‘decent and professional’ clothes. Bangladesh Bank’s Human Resource Department also warned that disciplinary action could be taken if the order is not followed. But the storm arose in social media.
People started calling Bangladesh Bank Management the definition of ‘decent and professional’ on Facebook and X. The matter increased so much that at present, Bangladesh Bank has withdrawn the order. Many people ordered this order to order Taliban.
Under the canceled order, male employees were instructed to wear long or half -sleeved formal shirts, formal pants and shoes, while jeans and fancy pajamas were not allowed.
In the instructions issued for women, all women were asked to wear sarees, salwar-kameez, any other plain, gentle, professional costumes, simple headscarf or hijab. Under this order they allowed them to wear formal sandals or shoes.
In the order of the central bank, women were forbidden to wear short -sleeved clothes or long loose dress and leggings.
The instructions stated that, “Officers and employees of all levels should wear clothes in a gentle and professional manner to suit the social norms of the country.”
Opposing this order, a user wrote on X that as part of the Islamic agenda, Bangladesh Bank has asked women officials not to wear short sleeves and languages. But the daughter of the Governor of Bangladesh Bank wears anything according to her wish.
Apart from this, all departments were instructed to appoint an officer to monitor compliance with the dress code guidelines.
Some people also compared this order to the orders of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan in which all women have been ordered to wear clothes from head to toe in public places.
One user tweeted, “The rule of a vigilant dictator in the new Taliban era.”
Fauzia Muslim, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, told the local media that such instructions are unprecedented in Bangladesh. He said, “A special cultural atmosphere is being shaped, and this instruction reflects the same effort.”
Bangladesh Bank withdrew this instruction on Thursday amid a ruckus on social media. Spokesperson Arif Hussain Khan said, “This circular is a complete advice. There is no compulsion in relation to wearing a hijab or burqa.”
At the same time, an ordinance passed on Wednesday night amidst this dispute has made the citizens even more angry. In this, action is proposed against the employees protesting against the government.
Increasing Taliban impact in Bangladesh
Significantly, in Bangladesh, there has been a rise of radical elements in recent few months. The footprint of Taliban ideology has also increased here. According to the report, the influence of Islamic ideology in Bangladesh has increased so much that the youth are now getting attracted towards Taliban and TTP. Evidence of at least two Pakistani Taliban members going to Afghanistan from Bangladesh via Pakistan has been found. One of them was killed in an encounter with the Pakistani Army in Waziristan in April.
The incident took place at a time when Malaysia detained 36 Bangladeshi citizens in June on charges of alleged relations with terrorist networks.
