Pakistan Announces Three-Day Public Holiday for Eid ul Azha

The federal government has announced a three-day public holiday from May 26 to May 28 to mark the occasion of Eid ul Azha.

A notification issued by the Cabinet Division, with the approval of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, confirmed that public holidays will be observed from Tuesday to Thursday.

The holiday announcement follows the decision by the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, which declared that Eid ul Azha will be celebrated across Pakistan on Wednesday, May 27. The date was determined after the Zilhaj moon was successfully sighted on Sunday.

The central committee made its announcement after receiving and verifying multiple testimonies of the moon sighting from various parts of the country. Reports were confirmed from cities including Karachi, Mardan, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar, among others.

Celebrated on the 10th of Zilhaj, Eid ul Azha marks the culmination of the annual Haj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam. Saudi Arabia will also be observing the first day of Eid on May 27.