Bank holiday on the first day of Ramazan

The SBP and all offices of SBP Banking Services Corporation will remain closed for public dealing on first Ramazan.

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and all offices of SBP Banking Services Corporation, including the public debt offices, will remain closed for public dealing on first Ramazan, 1431 AH, which will be observed as a bank holiday for the deduction of Zakat.

However, all officers and staff of the SBP, SBP BSC, banks and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) will attend their offices on the first Ramazan treating it as a normal working day (except for public dealing), the central bank said in a press release on Tuesday.

The SBP has also announced its office hours during Ramazan. From Monday to Thursday, timings will be 8.30 am to 3 pm with 15 minutes prayer break from 1.30 pm to 1:45 pm while on Friday, operating hours will be 8:30 am to 1:30 pm.

The SBP has advised banks, DFIs, microfinance banks and field offices of SBP Banking Services Corporation to observe the following business hours during Ramazan. From Monday to Thursday 8:30 am to 2 pm without break while on Friday 8:30 am to 12:30 pm without break.

After Ramazan, the above timings will automatically be reverted to pre-Ramazan timings, a statement read.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th, 2010.