August 12, 13, 14 and 15 will be observed as holidays in Pakistan for the Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Adha, the second of the year’s two major Islamic festivals, the government announced on Wednesday.
Eid ul-Adha commemorates the Qur’anic story of the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to Allah before Allah replaced the son with a ram to be sacrificed instead.
Last month, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry announced that both Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha would be decided every year based on a ‘scientific’ lunar calendar, launched by the ministry in June in order to end controversies over the sighting of the moon for Islamic months. According to the ministry’s calendar, Eid ul-Adha this year will fall on Monday, August 12.
According to a Ministry of Interior notification, Saturday, August 17, will be a working day in Pakistan.
The science ministry’s calendar, which can be accessed through Pakistan’s first official moon-sighting website and a mobile application, specifies determined dates for all major Islamic festivals in the country.
Pakistan, a Muslim majority country of 208 million people, is the sixth most populous country in the world and has the second-largest Muslim population after Indonesia.
Pakistan government announces Eid ul-Adha holidays from August 12-15
Pakistan government announces Eid ul-Adha holidays from August 12-15
- August 17th, Saturday, will be a working day in Pakistan
- Dates for both Eids will be decided in Pakistan based on a ‘scientific’ lunar calendar launched by the science ministry in June
