Writer: Lieutenant Colonel Imran Hassan Khan Niazi, retired

It has been customary in various armies that units are awarded accoutrements to distinguish them among others, as a symbol of outstanding performance during wars. Sometimes they are also granted for some unprecedented historical act or incident of significance.

Pakistan Army inherited the traditions of her predecessor British Indian Army in 1947. The uniform and equipment have undergone many evolutionary stages in the last three quarters of a century, however there has been very little deviation from the roots. There are some units which were granted dress distinctions before independence. Pakistan Army continued by and large to allow them to wear those distinctions till today. A couple of units have been granted distinctions after independence too, whereas a few lost theirs during evolution.

The Policy

Pakistan Army continued with the old policy for over seven decades. It was not until 2018, that the policy was revised according to local conditions, and finally enforced in 2020. The salient eligibility criteria is outstanding war performance by the collective action of a unit, where the enemy has been significantly hurt. There have been different types of accoutrements allowed in the past. As per current policy, a hackle (commonly known as plume), collar piping, or a lanyard are the standard accoutrements permissible as a distinction. A unit found eligible for a distinction, can claim either of the three, and not more than a single item, for one distinction. The distinction cannot be claimed on the basis of an individual action.

In view of the very few distinctions allowed since 1947, there is a study under consideration currently, to grant distinctions on the basis of individual gallantry awards under a standard criterion, but not implemented as yet. There is also a suggestion under consideration to add an arm patch or a distinction disc, among eligible accoutrements.

 There are two types of dress distinctions being followed at present. One is a unit’s individual distinction, and the other is regimental or arm-based distinction. The latter is explained in the following part.

Regimental Dress Distinctions

There are regiments and arms which wear a particular dress item as a standard regimental accoutrement.

Cross Belt. There are two types of dress accoutrements specific to Armoured Corps, but admissible to officers only. Cross belt, commonly known as pouch belt, is worn with ceremonial dress i.e., in leather with services dress and in gold lace (embroidered) with mess kit. In Pakistan Army, it is referred to as toshdan. Every regiment has its own distinctive toshdan.

At one time, it was allowed to officers and viceroy commissioned officers (VCOs) of various arms, but this was discontinued by the British in the Indian Army during the post World War I reorganisation.

VCOs were commonly known as Indian officers prior to grant of regular commissions (King’s commission, regular commission and temporary commission), which started after WW I. Until then, jemadars, subedars and subedar majors were considered Indian or native lieutenants, captains and majors respectively, and wore similar ranks. A slip on ribbon (also known as braid, stripe or band) was added on the shoulder, under the rank, in 1942, and after regiment title in 1946, to the ranks of VCOs, to differentiate them from regular Indian commissioned officers. When Pakistan became an independent republic in 1956, the King’s commission was replaced with the President’s commission and VCOs with junior commissioned officers (JCOs).

Mail Chains. Armoured Corps officers also wear chain net on shoulders, called mail chains, on the mess kit. It is basically an accoutrement, a vestige of traditional cavalry dress before the advent of tanks, when body armour with a chained hood to cover the exposed area under a helmet, was worn by cavalry soldiers while riding. It is also worn by officers from Remount Veterinary and Farms Corps, carrying the tradition of old Remount Corps. A few units other than these two arms, are also individually authorised to wear it, which shall be covered in units’ dress distinctions.

Lanyard. It was inherited from the British Indian Army and was worn by all arms and services, in distinctive regimental colours. It was discontinued in 1975. In 2021, the lanyard of the Regiment of Artillery has been restored.

Hackle. Punjab Regiment, Sind Regiment, Northern Light Infantry Regiment (NLI) and Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) have the distinction of wearing hackle (plume) on regimental beret with ceremonial dress.

Pakistan inherited five regimental groups of Punjab Regiment (1, 8, 14, 15 and 16). In 1956 all groups amalgamated into a single regiment, less 8 Punjab which was amalgamated in Baluch (now Baloch) Regiment. The green plume of Punjab regiment is associated with former 1st Punjab Regiment, which was granted grass green feather hackle, as a distinction for services during WWII, for suffering heavy casualties while winning the highest number of gallantry awards, among the entire British Indian Army.

Sind Regiment wears a red hackle. Although raised in 1980, the regiment was authorised plume as 11 battalions from Punjab Regiment became part of the newly raised regiment. NLI wears white hackle of monal pheasant feathers, with green base, on ceremonial headgear, and cadets of PMA wear twin colour hackle in red and green with ceremonial beret.

Gorget Patches. Gentlemen cadets of PMA, following the tradition of Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK, also wear gorget patches (otherwise a distinction for senior ranks of colonels and above only), with ceremonial uniform, in white colour.

Cherry Boss. Baloch Regiment officers have the distinction of wearing a five-pointed silver star over a cherry boss (bobble) with the blue forage and khaki peak cap, instead of a regiment badge.

Officers of 7 FF (formerly 1/13th (Coke’s) Frontier Force Rifles) have worn a red bobble with silver bugle on their peak caps, to honour the battalion’s association with the British 60th Rifles, until 1956.

Black Web Belt. Armoured Corps (AC) and Frontier Force Regiment (FF) wear a black web belt with uniform, whereas remaining arms and services wear olive green. AC was granted black because of the distinction of wearing black berets prior to WWII, and still carry on with the same. FF carries the distinction due to its rifles past, since FF Rifles, amalgamated in FF Regiment in 1956, wore black leather, web equipment and shoes. Rifle regiments in the British Army wore the same since the 18th Century, but FF Rifles are the pioneers of black webbing and buttons in the British-Indian Army. The ceremonial jacket or tunic among rifle battalions, was also of rifle green colour.

1st (Self Propelled) Medium Regiment Artillery (FF) is the only unit from the Regiment of Artillery, to wear black belt and buttons, being affiliated to the Frontier Force Regiment. Defence Services Force (DSF) which is a civil armed force (CAF) of Ministry of Defence, also wear black webbing.

 The distinction of black shoes remained distinctive to FF officers, while officers from other corps and regiments wore brown shoes. In the 1960s, the whole Army was converted to black footwear, and with all types of dresses. The same was the case with black web equipment for all units mentioned earlier, which wore black webbing, until induction of current camouflage combat dress (CCD) to replace khaki in the field.

 FF also has a singular distinction of being the only regiment in the Army to wear black buttons, whereas all remaining wear khaki.16 Black buttons and webbing is the tradition inherited from 13th Frontier Force Rifles (now amalgamated in the Frontier Force Regiment).

White Belt and Webbing. Corps of Military Police (CMP) is the only service authorised to wear white webbing, being the custodian of discipline.

Units and Individual Distinctions

There are a number of units which have been granted various types of dress distinctions. Some are pre-independence legacies, and a few were granted after independence.

• Collar Piping is worn by five units:-

Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force), 2nd Battalion (Guides) The Frontier Force Regiment and 1st (Self Propelled) Medium Regiment Artillery (FF) wear scarlet piping on the collars. The former two wear it as a distinction since British times, for being former Corps of Guides. The latter regiment was granted it on the basis of war performance during 1965 War.

9th Battalion (Wilde’s) The Frontier Force Regiment wears Prussian blue piping, granted during the 19th Century. During reorganisation of the Army in 1956, it was discontinued. It was restored in 1979.

12th Battalion, The Northern Light Infantry Regiment has recently been granted Pakistan green piping for outstanding war performance during OPERATION KOH-I-PAIMA (Kargil conflict) in 1999.

• Distinction Lanyard is worn by only two units. Regimental lanyard is worn around the left shoulder, whereas the distinction lanyard is a short-length lanyard worn around the right shoulder. When lanyard as a dress item was discontinued in the 1970s, the distinction lanyard was also discontinued, but later restored. It now continues to be worn by the units which held it as a distinction:-

1st Battalion (Scinde) The Frontier Force Regiment wear a scarlet lanyard and 5th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment wear a dark blue lanyard, which were granted to the units upon conferment of the title Royal, for their war performance during World War I, and in the inter-war period, respectively.

• Leather Belt. Unit badge crested leather belt is authorised to all officers and JCOs of Guides Cavalry (FF), 2 FF (Guides), 1 (SP) Medium Regiment Artillery (FF) and 34 Lancers. 12 Cavalry (FF) is authorised a brown leather belt for officers only.
• Toshdan. 1st (SP) Medium Regiment Artillery (FF) and 2nd Battalion (Guides) The FF Regiment are the only units other than AC regiments, to wear this accoutrement (officers only).
• Whangee Swagger Stick. It is made from whangee bamboo. All officers from 19 Lancers carry it in lieu of a regimental cane, as a tradition inherited as 19th King George V’s Own Lancers. It resembles the Malacca cane which is made from palm stems and is a symbol of rank, authorised to officers of the rank of colonel and above.

Discontinued Dress Distinctions of the past

• Maroon Lanyard. 11 Cavalry (FF) was granted a maroon lanyard by Prince Albert Victor in 1892, for outstanding performance in frontier expeditions. The lanyard was not part of dress accoutrements of AC when it was worn as part of army uniform. 11 Cavalry (FF) had the distinction of being the only armour regiment authorised to wear a lanyard. The distinction was lost when the lanyard was discontinued (refer back to regimental dress distinctions).
• Khaki Lanyard. 2 FF (Guide’s) wore a khaki lanyard as a legacy of Lumsden’s invention, instead of black (standard colour of FF Regiment). Like 11 Cavalry (FF), this distinction was lost by the battalion when the lanyard was discontinued.
• Arm Title. At independence, arm title of regiment, arm and service was worn by all on the shoulder in cloth, with backing, as per designated colours. It was discontinued after 1956, however 2 FF (Guide’s) was allowed to wear an arm title of ‘GUIDES’ in silver gilded metal, in convex curve on the sleeve below the shoulder, on the service dress. It was discontinued later.
• Dark Uniform. 7th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment wore a dark coloured uniform since raising in 1849. It was an indigo-dyed very dark tunic in the beginning, and the only unit not only within the Punjab Irregular Force (P.I.F), but the entire army to do so. At that time, dark coloured uniform was only worn by the rifles units of the British Army. The colour was retained over the years, and even after the first reorganisation of British-Indian Army under Kitchener’s Reforms in 1903. During post-World War I reorganisation, it changed to rifle green in 1924, when 13th Frontier Force Rifles were organised. After WW II re organisation was again carried out and the army changed to Khaki uniform, less Gurkha battalions, which wore olive green for employment in tropical and hilly areas. The unit adopted olive green battledress and berets in continuation of the tradition of wearing dark coloured uniform. After independence, they continued to wear rifle green colour and were known as Siah Posh (black coated) for their individuality. The distinction continued after independence until 1952, when the entire Frontier Force Rifles was brought onto rifle green uniform. When the Army was re organised in 1956, khaki was adopted as a standard colour of uniform of Pakistan Army. Though the unit was reluctant to give it away, it could not be retained due to resemblance with the Indian Army, which adopted olive green colour for the uniform. It is a general perception that black buttons of FF are a reminder of the old rifles past, however the paltan claimed for many years that the insistence of the unit (then 1/13 FF Rifles), was also one of the reasons. The unit nevertheless, lost the distinction which it had for 107 years.
• Sam Browne’s Belt was a standard dress accoutrement, inherited on independence, worn by officers on the service dress, and junior commissioned officers with ceremonial dress. It was discontinued in the 1980s, and is now worn by appointment holders of final term cadets at PMA. Officers and JCOs only wear it during ceremonial guards, and while on duty in the garrisons.

Traditions Observed as Dress Distinctions

Guides Cavalry (FF) and 2 FF (Guides) wear distinctions which are not mentioned in Army Dress Regulations (ADR), but remain as a tradition linked to their past.

• Waist Sash. Both the Guides units (cavalry and infantry) have a tradition that the regimental waist sash worn by ceremonial guards, has the badge on the left side, whereas the rest of the Army wear it on the right. T hey carry it as a tradition of the former Corps of Guides, since raising.
• Arm Title. 2 FF (Guides) continue to wear the title as a tradition of GUIDES, patched above the formation sign.

Conclusion

Dress distinctions are an age-old tradition carried by soldiers and armies from the earliest times. Distinctions granted over a period of time become traditions, which are part and parcel of soldiering. Traditions lead to the development of culture based on history, morale, and ultimately to esprit de corps and infusion of leadership. These distinctions are not merely an acknowledgement of a unit’s or regiment’s acts of glory, but subsequently serve as a source of motivation. Each time an individual wears a distinction, he or she is reminded of a past historical event. The memory sparks energy to perform well and live up to the reputation that is carried with that distinction. This ultimately helps in individual as well as collective output of the unit. To end with a quote of Field Marshal Wavell; ‘Tradition is the bedrock of tattered battalions when they are faced with heavy odds’.