I don’t understand why everyone in Lahore is talking about Burqa today, did I miss something? I personally think burqas are cool, and was glad to find out that I am not the only one.

Here’s my own list (in no particular order) of why burqa (or is it burka?) should become the blue jeans of Pakistani men:

• ‘Escape’ from the ‘heat’ – A burqa is the ideal protection from the record-breaking heat wave in this year.
• Time savers – Burqas can be a great time saver. Saving a minute each morning to chose what to wear will add up. Remember Johnny Bravo? A change of burqa takes only a few seconds as well.
• Look Dangerous – A burqa-clad man is just a few steps away from looking like a ninja. ninja…burqa… they even rhyme!
• Equality – When men start wearing burqas, they’ll be sending out the message that they have the same rights as women in the society… its about time someone raised that issue, why should we be the suppressed ones?!
• Focus – A Burqa allows you to focus on the task ahead, and cuts down the noise in the environment. People like me (who sit in front of the PC all day) can proudly wear burqas like the helms that the roman warriors wore centuries ago.
• Filter – With the prevalent pollution in Pakistan, a burqa is a perfect filter from the dust and the cosmic rays.
• Art form – Burqas can be also used as an art form, imagine a stadium full of burqas of all colors, the possibilities are endless.
• Cultural Identity – We can defy the west and define our own culture by wearing a burqa instead of jeans and T-Shirt.
• Expression – A burqa has a lot more room than a T-Shirt, messages and images that won’t fit on a T-Shirt (unless you are an XXL) can fit on a burqa!

Burqa is for everyone:

• For the soldiers – What could be more fearsome than a dangerous (see above) looking armored-burqa clad soldier?
• For the suicide bombers – More explosives per cubic centimeter.
• For the teenagers – who are not allowed to mingle with the girls at their colleges/universities, and are afraid of being seen when dating.
• For the men – See above
• For the women – If everyone else will be wearing them, they might as well.

A nation-wide adoption of burqa as our national dress will also have a positive effect on our economy, as mass production of burqas would be a big boon to our textile industry. Hardly anyone wears a shalwar kameez anymore, maybe a burqa can be more popular and help unite the nation.

I’ll keep editing this post as more benefits of a burqa come to my mind. Feel free to contribute to the list. And stop talking about burqas please!

PS. I did search google for images to prove my point, but sadly most of them were not safe/offensive, so click at your own risk.