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Five day weekend as government announces Eid holidays

Published: October 31, 2011

The public holidays for Eid and Iqbal day result in a five-day weekend starting from Saturday, November 5. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday declared November 7 and 8 as holidays for Eidul Azha.

The government also announced a holiday on November 9 for Iqbal Day.

The public holidays for Eid and Iqbal day result in a five-day weekend starting from Saturday, November 5.

Earlier this week the moon of the Islamic month of Zilhaj was sighted in Pakistan and Eidul Azha and confirmed by the Chairman of Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Mufti Muneebur Rehman.

Eidul Azha, also known as the “Festival of Sacrifice” or “Greater Eid” is an important religious day celebrated by Muslims across the world to commemorate the willingness of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) to sacrifice his son Hazrat Ismail (AS) as an act of obedience to God, before he intervened to replace a ram instead of Hazrat Ismail (AS).

Eidul Azha is celebrated annually on the 10th day of the last Islamic month of Zilhaj of the lunar Islamic calendar. The celebrations begin after the Hajj pilgrims descend from Mount Arafat. The Hajj congregation is also the world’s largest annual gathering.

Correction: The spelling of ‘government’ was misspelled in the headline earlier. The error has been rectified. 

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Reader Comments (25)

  • Shahbaz Younis
    Oct 31, 2011 - 5:00PM

    Eid-ul-Azha mubarak ….. :)

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  • MAD
    Oct 31, 2011 - 5:01PM

    This government really loves their holidays.

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  • Javeria Mahmood
    Oct 31, 2011 - 5:05PM

    I like the way wrote this news…. love it

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  • Saad
    Oct 31, 2011 - 5:07PM

    Cant we remember Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam while we work? I am sure they never imagined their death would halt country’s progress and development. Our current govt. is doing everything not to achieve their economic goals.

    One of the famous quotes of Quaid-e-Azam is ‘Kaam Kaam aur bas kaam’. But this govt. likes to stay on ultra idle mode.

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  • Tabish Bilgrami
    Oct 31, 2011 - 5:24PM

    This is what this government does the best! Holidays in packages :-)

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  • AK47
    Oct 31, 2011 - 5:25PM

    Why the third day of EID isn’ t an EID holiday rather then Iqbal Day. Government never announces holiday on the third day.

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  • JaySabir
    Oct 31, 2011 - 5:30PM

    Cheers Everybody :-)

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  • csmann
    Oct 31, 2011 - 5:43PM

    so diwali of hindus and sikhs is unworthy of a national holiday

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  • Ikramuddin Akbar
    Oct 31, 2011 - 5:56PM

    Whether government knows it or not Muslims know it for themselves well to enjoy complete three days of this Eid for sacrifices, and mostly even don’t bother to go to their work places on the third day of Eid.,adding 1 or 2 days from the government will only add some relaxation .But never ever any government took any interest to lift some load from the poor people who at least wish to enjoy sacrifice buying animals at reasonable price.There are many ways for a wealthy government for this “kar e khair”.

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  • Courteous
    Oct 31, 2011 - 5:59PM

    Please check the spelling of Government in the title line!

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  • Mawali
    Oct 31, 2011 - 6:59PM

    Sacrifice and slaughter is not an Islamic tradition as much as a percieved “Abrahamic folklore”. Originally a Jewish ritual long given up in the name of sanity. Wouldn’t it be better to call it a day of prayer and offer special prayer to appease that same God?

    How could the poor of Pakistan afford to buy sacrificial animals that cost more than a compact car these days. Plus in the name of conservation if you have to shed blood; can there be a token commnunity sacrife offered by the nation of Pakistan in the name of its people and then break down in prayer and ask for Gods mercy? The point being besides the whole notion of sacrifice in this day and age it is becoming a problem of food shortage. The number of animals killed by Muslims in one day can probably feed the same hungry Muslims for the rest of the year.

    On top of that the same impoverished country living on hand outs shuts down for five full days?Recommend

  • rameeza tayyab
    Oct 31, 2011 - 7:07PM

    i was expecting some more holidays :(

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  • Pagall
    Oct 31, 2011 - 7:28PM

    We only remember Iqbal n Quid holidays
    rest we don’t follow rules

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  • IndianMuslim
    Oct 31, 2011 - 7:32PM

    Eid Mubarak, everyone !

    May Peace Prevail On Earth !

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  • Oct 31, 2011 - 7:44PM

    A few days back i got a text, that we will be getting around 8 holidays last Eid-ul-Fitr… Wanted to go out of town for about 7 days :D

    I guess I’ll have to re plan the whole event :’(

    Umer Sohail,
    Website: World Updates

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  • lobe
    Oct 31, 2011 - 8:03PM

    I wish there were so many holidays in India we got only 1 day for deepavali.Recommend

  • u_too
    Oct 31, 2011 - 8:06PM

    i want thursday and friday too

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  • Talal
    Oct 31, 2011 - 8:09PM

    How do my fellow countrymen manage to get some work done when there are so many days off? Can our country afford this?

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  • AnisAqeel
    Oct 31, 2011 - 9:20PM

    Eid Mubarak my dear hard working countrymen.
    A country with one of the lowest efficient labor in the world needs a whole week off. Eat, drink, be happy, be carefree and put all efforts to beg more from ‘masters’. Allah is going to bless us with ‘alms’.

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  • Mohammad Ali Siddiqui
    Oct 31, 2011 - 9:28PM

    Good to know that government has announced five (5) days holiday on account of Eid-ul-Azha and Iqbal Day.

    It will be a great opportunity for the poor people to celebrate the Eid and get together with their family members.

    These long weekend holidays comes once or twice in the whole calendar year, otherwise the private employees hardly gets any chance to take rest.

    In developed countries, all government and private concerns are closed on every Saturday and Sunday. The shopkeepers open their shops at 8am and close at 5pm without any delay.

    But the shopkeepers particularly in Karachi arrive at their shops in the afternoon and shut down late in the night, which hardly gives any time for the salesmen to give time to their family members.

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  • Mukhtar Ahmed
    Oct 31, 2011 - 9:55PM

    Father of the nation asked us to work work and work present government acting in different way no work no work and no work what a contrast keep up

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  • JaySabir
    Nov 1, 2011 - 12:28AM

    to all my friends who are pretending to be workaholic here, comeon! these are valid off days dont criticize every thing. you guys are watching so many political tv shows.

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  • Ikramuddin Akbar
    Nov 1, 2011 - 2:25AM

    Sacrifice is not compulsive it is only for those who has the capability to perform a sacrifice.Then you start scolding the government is there anything in the law of Pakistan that all will sacrifice on the particular day? when any government in Pakistan forced the public or poor to necessarily sacrifice animal . You seem champion of poor of Pakistan , and termed Muslims as hungry. You also seem to be an expert on economics.The prosperity or the poverty of Islamic countries or Muslims are not related to animals. Its one of the basic rule of Islam that Muslims are not fulfilling.and that is the “ZAKAT”.I am not a scholar in Islamic studies nor i am so illiterate that i fail to understand the difference between bloodshed and sacrifice .Recommend

  • qadir
    Nov 1, 2011 - 12:58PM

    i was expecting more holidays :(

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  • 10th
    Nov 3, 2011 - 4:00AM

    @Umer:

    Thank you for your life story.

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