In the

military tradition Military tradition is the practices associated with the military or soldiers such as the styles of military uniform, drill, or the music of a military unit. In Europe In Europe, tradition was a principle of military culture that had evolved out ...

s of Pakistan, the commander baton, which is known as Malacca Cane, is constructed from Malacca cane (rattan) and derives its name from the port city of

Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...

in modern-day Malaysia. It stands as a profound

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

, arguably representing the pinnacle of

power Power may refer to: Common meanings * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power, a type of energy * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events Math ...

within

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

. Apart from the

Chief of Army Staff Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

, the baton of command is also borne by other general officers like corps commanders, general officers commanding (GOCs), and brigade commanders, further enhancing its symbolic significance in the

hierarchical structure A hierarchy (from Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an importan ...

of Pakistan's military.

Uses

This baton serves as an essential

accoutrement Accoutrements are the personal/individual equipment of service people such as soldiers, sailors, police and firemen and employees of some private organizations such as security guards, other than their basic uniform and weapons.In American English ...

for army commanders during ceremonial events such as saluting the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...

, accepting a

guard of honour A guard of honour (Commonwealth English), honor guard (American English) or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, typically drawn from the military, appointed to perform ceremonial duties – for example, to receive or guard a head of state ...

, or conducting a parade inspection. However, there is a specific

decorum Decorum (from the Latin: "right, proper") was a principle of classical rhetoric, poetry, and theatrical theory concerning the fitness or otherwise of a style to a theatrical subject. The concept of ''decorum'' is also applied to prescribed lim ...

to follow regarding the command baton. When the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is in a formal meeting with the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

or the

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

, the baton is traditionally not displayed.

Manufacturing

The Malacca cane in Pakistan is manufactured from the elongated, thin stems of rattan palms indigenous to the northern regions.

References

{{Pakistan Army Staff Chief Pakistan Army Chiefs of Army Staff, Pakistan Ceremonial weapons