An internal advisory on maintaining professional and modest attire at Bangladesh Bank has been suspended following a directive from the central bank’s governor.

Bangladesh Bank spokesperson and Executive Director Arif Hossain Khan confirmed the matter on Thursday (July 24).

He said that no formal policy decision had been made and no official circular had been issued in this regard.

According to him, “In some departmental meetings of Bangladesh Bank, there were discussions on wearing modest and professional clothing considering the country’s social context and workplace decorum. However, those discussions remained confined to the departmental level. No directive was issued from the central office.”

He further said that the matter came to the attention of Governor Ahsan H. Mansur, who is currently abroad, through media reports. 

The governor expressed dissatisfaction over the issue, and based on his instructions, the advisory has been fully withdrawn. 

Earlier, the advisory reportedly instructed female employees to wear sarees, salwar-kameez with dupattas, or other professional and modest attire. It discouraged short-sleeved and short-length dresses as well as leggings. Formal shoes or sandals and simple headscarves or hijabs were also mentioned as part of the appropriate dress code.

For male officials and staff, the advisory had specified formal shirts (either full or half-sleeved) and pants, discouraging jeans and gabardine trousers.

It had further mentioned that violation of the dress code could lead to disciplinary action against the concerned employee.

News of the internal dress code advisory sparked widespread discussion and criticism both within and outside the banking sector. In response, the central bank has now formally suspended the advisory.

SMS/