Who does not like having holidays or vacations in the busy and hectic office life? Each of us like to have maximum holidays to enjoy some time with our family, friends or enjoying some free time planning for trips and tours.
Federal Ministry of Interior is the sole body into Pakistan to issue the list of annual public holidays in the country. Then comes the provincial government who decide at their own grant extra holidays as per local events or special traditions.
In addition to Public Holidays, Ministry of Interior also publish the list of optional holidays in Pakistan as well. However, optional holidays are never treated as compulsory holidays at all. These are at the order of the Ministry either it allow for these holidays or not.
The holiday’s announcement made by the Interior Ministry are also called as Official Gazetted Holidays in Pakistan or Public Holidays in Pakistan. It is Interior Ministry only that issues the notification of Holidays in Pakistan at the federal level. After Interior Ministry then comes the Provincial Governments that also announce the holidays and these can vary from the holiday notification of Interior Ministry. However, holidays announced by the provincial or local governments cannot be called as Gazetted or Public Holidays at all.
List of Official Public Holidays in Pakistan 2018
- Kashmir Day – 05th February
- Pakistan Day – 23rd March
- Labour Day – 1st May
- Eid ul Fitr – (On 1st Shawal)
- Independence Day – 14th August
- Eid ul Azha – (10th Zil Haj)
- Ashura – (9th and 10th Moharrum)
- Eid Milad ul-Nabi – (12 Rabi ul Awal)
- Quaid e Azam Day – (25th December)
The following days will be Bank holidays and Banks will remain closed for public but NOT for their employees:
- 1st January 2018 (Monday)
- 16th May 2017 (Wednesday) corresponding to 1stRarnzan 1439 (subject to appearance of the moon).
iii. 2nd July 2017 (Monday), July 1st already being a weekly holiday
As per the notification of Ministry of Interior: Holidays for Muslim Festivals are subject to appearance of the moon for which a separate notification will be issued.
In addition to National Holidays, regional holidays will be announced by the respective provincial and local governments.
Government servants desiring to avail themselves of Optional Holidays shall take prior permission of the Head of Office concerned, and no Government Servant shall be granted more than one optional holiday in the case of Muslims and three optional holidays in the case of non-Muslims, in a calendar year.
The grant of this concession should not result in any dislocation of work. In the case of optional Muslim holidays, the number of persons permitted to avail optional holidays should be regulated in a manner so as to adequate staff is available for the proper continuance of the work.
The optional holidays are denominational and may be allowed at the discretion of the Head Office, provided that work is not suffered.
A Government Servant should not ordinarily be refused an Optional Holiday that is of religious significance to him, and the refusal is likely to decrease the number of such holidays to which she/he is entitled.
