Govt announces Eid ul Fitr holidays across Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Division of Pakistan on Sunday announced public holidays on the occasion of Eid ul Fitr.

According to a notification, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved March 20 (Friday) and March 21 (Saturday) as public holidays.

The holidays will apply to offices observing both five-day and six-day working weeks.

Experts have suggested that Eid ul Fitr is likely to fall on March 21, with Pakistan expected to complete 30 days of Ramadan.

The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) said the new moon of Shawwal 1447 AH is expected to be born on March 19, 2026, at 06:23 PST.

According to Suparco, at the time of sunset on March 19 the moon’s age will be around 12 hours and 41 minutes, with an estimated 28-minute gap between sunset and moonset along Pakistan’s coastal belt.

However, the final decision regarding the sighting of the crescent will be made by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Railways has announced the operation of four special trains to facilitate passengers travelling to their hometowns ahead of the festival.

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A railway spokesperson said the first Eid special train will depart from Lahore to Karachi on March 16.

The second train will leave Quetta for Rawalpindi on March 17, while the third will run from Karachi to Peshawar the same day.

According to the spokesperson, the fourth special train will operate from Karachi to Lahore on March 18 to accommodate the surge in passenger traffic during the holiday period.