'Carried my office with dignity', Hazim Bangwar tells critics

Responding to critics opposing his fashion choices and accusing him of dressing inappropriately, Fashionista bureaucrat Hazim Bangwar has clarified that he has carried his office with respect and dignity.

"I've carried my office with respect and dignity and [have] always dressed appropriately," Bangwar said in a post on his Instagram account.

The remarks come after the civil servant, known for his unique fashion sense and eccentric personality faced online criticism for not respecting his post as a bureaucrat by allegedly dressing inappropriately.

Reacting to the criticism he was subjected to for attending a local style award dressed in a black gothic-style outfit a few days back, Bangwar highlighted his decision to leave a life of luxury to serve the people.

However, he lamented that he continues to "pay the price" for his decision by being trolled, bullied and threatened for "simply dressing well".

Reiterating that he has always carried his office with "respect and dignity" while ensuring appropriate clothing, the bureaucrat questioned whether other professionals wear their work-related clothes outside their line of work.

"No doctor or officer wears their gowns or uniforms outside their office but I guess I'm expected to," Bangwar said.

His plight of being subjected to additional scrutiny and criticism alleging him of not dressing appropriately as a civil servant follows former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry's comments wherein he called on the bureaucrat to "respect the office".

"Indian Civil Service was first merit-based Bureaucracy of the modern world, the authors of Travelyn's report could have never imagined in their wild dream the decline we are witnessing in Pakistan [...] show some respect to the office you are occupying," the politician said while reacting to a social media post which shared Bangwar's video.

However, there were those who defended the civil servant's fashion choice.

"What's the issue with expressing your fashion or art skills outside of work? Why are we critical of everything?" wrote Absa Komal while replying to Fawad's criticism.

Another said that Bangwar's gothic-inspired outfit reminded him of the renowned US television series Game of Thrones.

Meanwhile, some users defended his choice of fashion as something pertaining to his "personal life" and praised him for being a "professional and a great guy."

Who is Hazim Bangwar?

Apart from being a civil servant, Bangwar holds a degree in Fashion Design and Marketing from AIU London along with an LLB degree from the UK as well.

He is also a singer and released his first single Haram in 2019 — which became a hit in South Korea, Hungry, Egypt, and India — followed by his second song Hell Ya and his first Urdu song in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

One of his passion projects also includes his foundation, HBF, which aims to provide funds for education, environmental and animal welfare, and emergency response programs in Pakistan.

He has also served as the face of three major companies as their ambassador.

Bangwar has also worked for and supported numerous local and international non-profit organisations, such as WWF, SOS, Oceana, Amnesty International, Dar Ul Sakoon, Project Aware, and PETA.