No More Friday Holiday in Punjab amid changes to Weekly Holiday Schedule
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
LAHORE – A major change awaits government employees and citizens across Punjab as provincial government officially ended Friday holiday. From tomorrow, all government offices will reopen on Fridays. Punjab government announced that all government offices across the province will remain open tomorrow and function according to their regular working schedule. Under the latest decision, Friday will now be observed as a regular working day throughout Punjab, ending the practice of weekly closure on the day. The move means that official business, administrative affairs and public services will continue without interruption. Civil Secretariat, all provincial government departments, attached departments and subordinate institutions have been instructed to remain operational. Government employees are required to report to work and perform their duties as per the prescribed office timings. Sources said the decision was taken to ensure the smooth continuation of administrative operations and the uninterrupted delivery of public services across the province. With government offices remaining open, citizens will be able to access routine public services without any break. The official notification states that implementation instructions have already been issued to all relevant departments. As a result, no provincial government office will observe a Friday holiday, and all institutions covered by the order will remain open during normal office hours. Previously, Friday was observed as a weekly holiday, temporarily suspending official government activities. However, with the Punjab government’s latest decision, the province’s administrative machinery will now continue operating on Fridays, restoring normal office operations across all government departments from tomorrow. Markets to stay closed at 9pm despite Pakistan ending Most Austerity Measures