PHUKET – Representing Pakistan at the 74th Miss Universe pageant, Roma Riaz turned heads at the Moonlight Sky Gala Welcome Dinner this week — not just for her stunning silver-beige sari by designer Kanwal Malik, but for the powerful message that followed.
Riaz’s choice of attire drew criticism from some online commentators who questioned why Miss Universe Pakistan had chosen a garment often regarded as “Indian.” Responding with grace and conviction, Riaz reframed the sari as a shared cultural legacy that predates national borders.
“The sari isn’t owned by borders. It’s part of our shared heritage, woven long before the lines between us existed,” she wrote on Instagram. “It was born from the soil of the Indus Valley — the same land our ancestors called home. The sari is as Pakistani as the shalwar kameez.”
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Her post was accompanied by archival images — including a 1969 newspaper clipping titled ‘Pakistan women still prefer the sari to western dress’, featuring Barrister Rabia Sultan Qari, alongside photographs of Nusrat Bhutto and singer Mala Begum — reminding followers that the sari has long held a place in Pakistan’s cultural fabric.
Riaz described her look as “a tribute, not borrowing,” adding, “In Pakistan, the sari once reigned as the attire of choice for women of culture and intellect — worn by poets, artists, and icons of the golden age of cinema.”
Styled by Kanwal Malik for the gala at Kora Resort Phuket, Riaz said her goal was to celebrate Pakistani craftsmanship and reclaim heritage “with pride and authenticity.”
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Her remarks have since ignited a broader conversation online: what does Pakistani fashion truly mean in a region with such deep interwoven histories? For Riaz, the answer is clear — fashion carries memory, and reclaiming heritage means honouring the threads that connect past and present.