Notification / OM No.
F.No. 10-2/2023-Min-II
Dated:
20-December-2023
Notification Issued By:
CABINET SECRETARIAT, CABINET DIVISION, GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN
F.No. 10-2/2023-Min-II
GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN
CABINET SECRETARIAT
CABINET DIVISION
Islamabad, the 20th December, 2023
CIRCULAR
SUBJECT: PUBLIC AND OPTIONAL HOLIDAYS FOR THE YEAR 2024
The Public and Optional Holidays regarding festivals of Muslims and Minorities in Pakistan for the Calendar Year 2024 would be as under:-
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:
| Sr.# | Name of Occasion | Days | Dates during year 2024 |
| 1 | Kashmir Day | Monday | 5th February, 2024 |
| 2 | Pakistan Day | Saturday | 23rd March, 2024 |
| 3* | Eid-ul-Fitr,(1st Shawal 1445 A.H.) | Wednesday, Thursday & Friday | 10th, 11th & 12th April 2024 |
| 4 | Labour Day | Wednesday | 1st May, 2024 |
| 5* | Eid-ul-Azha, (10th Zil Haj 1445 A.H.) | Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday | 17th, 18th & 19th June, 2024 |
| 6* | Ashura (9th & 10th Moharram 1446 A.H.) | Tuesday & Wednesday | 16th & 17th July, 2024 |
| 7 | Independence Day | Wednesday | 14th August, 2024 |
| 8* | Eid Milad-un-Nabi (12th Rabi-ul- Awwal 1446 A.H) | Monday | 16th September, 2024 |
| 9 | Allama lqbal Day | Saturday | 9th November, 2024 |
| 1° | Quaid-e-Azam Day/ Christmas | Wednesday | 25th December, 2024 |
| 11 | Day after Christmas | Thursday | 26th December, 2024 (For Christians only) |
2. The following will be Bank Holidays. However, on these days the Banks/ DFIs/ MFBs will remain closed for public but NOT for their employees:
| Sr.# | Day/ Date |
| 1 | 1st January, 2024 (Monday) |
| 2* | 11th March, 2024 (Monday) corresponding to 1st Ramazan 1445 A.H. for deduction of Zakat(subject to appearance of moon) 1st July, 2024 (Monday) |
OPTIONAL HOLIDAYS:
| Sr.# | Name of Occasion | Days | Dates during year 2024 |
| 1 | New Year Day | Monday | 1st January, 2024 |
| 2 | Basant Punchami | Wednesday | 14th February, 2024 |
| 3 | Shivaratri | Friday | 8th March, 2024 |
| 4* | Shab-e-Meraj (27th Rajab 1445 A.H) | Wednesday | 7th February, 2024 |
| 5 | Holi | Sunday | 24th March, 2024 |
| 6 | Dulhandi | Monday | 25th March, 2024 |
| 7* | Shah-e-Barat (15th Shaban 1445 A.H) | Sunday | 25th February, 2024 |
| 8 | Good Friday | Friday | 29th March, 2024 |
| 9 | Easter/ Day After Easter Sunday | Sunday Monday | 31st March & 1st April, 2024 |
| 10 | Baisakhi | Saturday | 13th April, 2024 |
| 11 | Eid-e-Rizwan (Bahai’s Community only) | Sunday | 21st April, 2024 |
| 12 | Buddha Purnima | Saturday | 23rd March, 2024 |
| 13 | Nauroze (Parsi’s New Year Day) | Thursday | 15th August, 2024 |
| 14 | Birthday of Lord Zoroaster (Khordad Sal) | Tuesday | 20th August, 2024 |
| 15* | Chehluni (20’n Solar 1446 AH) | Wednesday | 27th August, 2024 |
| 16 | Janam Ashtami | Monday | 26th August, 2024 |
| 17 | Durga Puja | Friday | 11th October, 2024 |
| 18 | Dussehra | Saturday | 12th October, 2024 |
| 19* | Giyarvee Shareef (11th Rabi- us-Sani 1446 A.H) | Wednesday | 16th October, 2024 |
| 20 | Birthday of Guru Valmi Sawami Ji | Tuesday | 17th October, 2024 |
| 21 | Diwaii | Friday | 1st November, 2024 |
| 22 | Guru Nanak Dev Jee Birthday | Friday | 15th November, 2024 |
NOTE:
* In case of Muslim Festivals, the dates of Holidays are based on anticipated dates and are subject to appearance of moon for which a separate notification will be issued by Cabinet Division.
3. 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 for Non-Muslims in a calendar year.
- The grant of this concession should not result in any dislocation of work. In the case of Muslim optional holidays, the number of persons permitted to avail optional holidays should be regulated in a manner so that adequate staff is available for proper continuance of the work. The optional holidays are denominational and may be allowed at the discretion of the Head of Office, provided that work does not suffer.
- A Government Servant should not ordinarily be refused an Optional Holiday that is of religious significance and the refusal is likely to decrease the number of such holidays to which he/she is entitled.
Section Officer (Min-II)
NOTE: We encourage government servants to make use of optional holidays responsibly and with prior permission from the Head of Office. Let’s ensure a seamless workflow while respecting each other’s religious and cultural practices.
