Governed by the Weekly Holidays Act 1942 which provides for persons employed in shops, restaurants and theatres. It declares that a shop will be entirely closed one day in every week and employees except anyone in a confidential or managerial position are entitled by law to one complete day’s holiday, which will be day shop is closed unless employee’s total period of employment is less than six days altogether or he has been allowed some other day completely free. Penalties under Act for Employer are Rs. 25 for a first offence and as much as Rs. 250 for a second offence. Weekly holiday is Sun. with effect from 15th Mar. 1997.
Public Holidays.
Number of public holidays has been reduced from 21 to 11. Now public holidays include two main Muslim festivals of Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Zuha fixed with reference to lunar calendar, Ashura in lunar month of Muharram and Id-e-Milad-un-Nabi, Dec. 25 (which is both Christmas and birthday of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah), Independence Day and Pakistan Day, on Aug. 14 and Mar. 23 and Iqbal Day on Nov. 9. Government holidays are compulsory but there are various other religious holidays which may or may not be given by individual employers, e.g., during the month of Ramzan all government offices and most other offices work Ramzan hours which are from 8 A.M. to 2 P.M. These hours are also the official summer hours for government offices and the courts.
The primary regulation is set by the Government of Pakistan through notifications issued by the Cabinet Secretariat, which outlines both gazetted (public) and optional holidays each year.
Public Holidays
Public holidays are officially recognized days off for all citizens. The main public holidays in Pakistan include:
- Kashmir Day (February 5)
- Pakistan Day (March 23)
- Labour Day (May 1)
- Independence Day (August 14)
- Iqbal Day (November 9)
- Quaid-e-Azam Day and Christmas (December 25)
- Islamic holidays like Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Azha, Ashura, and Eid Milad-un-Nabi which vary based on the lunar calendar.
Optional Holidays
In addition to public holidays, there are optional holidays that government employees can avail themselves of. Muslims can take one optional holiday, while non-Muslims can take up to three optional holidays. These include holidays for various religious and cultural events such as:
- New Year’s Day (January 1)
- Holi (March 24)
- Shab-e-Meraj (February 7)
- Good Friday (March 29)
- Diwali (November 1)
Key Points
- The Cabinet Secretariat issues an annual circular detailing the list of public and optional holidays.
- These holidays are observed on their calendar dates, and specific guidelines are provided for government employees on how to avail optional holidays without disrupting work.
- Certain holidays, especially Islamic ones, are subject to moon sighting and may vary.
