The federal government has declared Monday, November 9, 2026, a nationwide public holiday to mark the birth anniversary of national poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal.
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According to the Cabinet Division, an official notification has been issued confirming the holiday across the country. Government offices and federal institutions will remain closed in observance of the occasion.
The holiday will also provide a three-day weekend for employees and students whose regular weekly holidays fall on Saturday and Sunday.
Sindh Educational Institutions to Remain Closed
The Sindh College Education Department has also announced a public holiday for public and private educational institutions across the province on November 9 to observe Iqbal Day.
Separately, the Sindh government has announced that public and private schools across the province will remain closed on the occasion.
Banks to Remain Closed on November 9
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has confirmed that banks across the country will remain closed on November 9.
In a circular issued on November 3, the central bank said it would observe a public holiday on Monday for Allama Iqbal Day. The circular was addressed to banks, development finance institutions and microfinance banks.
The SBP said banking premises dealing with public transactions would remain closed for the day.
Iqbal Day Marks Birth Anniversary of National Poet
Iqbal Day is observed annually on November 9 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, one of the leading intellectual figures associated with the Pakistan Movement.
Born in Sialkot on November 9, 1877, Iqbal was a poet, philosopher and scholar whose ideas contributed to the political and intellectual discourse that preceded the creation of Pakistan.
The government restored Iqbal Day as a public holiday in 2022 after it had been removed from the annual holiday schedule in 2015.
