Pakistan declares nationwide public holiday for Iqbal Day

The Pakistani federal government has announced a nationwide public holiday on Monday, November 9, 2026, to commemorate the birth anniversary of national poet and philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

According to an official notification from the Cabinet Division, federal government offices, institutions, and banks will remain closed. The State Bank of Pakistan confirmed that banking premises dealing with public transactions will not operate on that day. In the province of Sindh, the College Education Department has announced that all public and private educational institutions will also be closed.

For employees whose regular weekly holidays fall on Saturday and Sunday, the holiday will create a three-day consecutive break. Allama Iqbal, born in 1877, is recognized for his philosophical and poetic contributions that helped provide the intellectual foundation for the Pakistan Movement.