Cabinet Division Confirms 9 November 2026 Public Holiday Across Pakistan for Iqbal Day

The federal government has confirmed that Monday 9 November 2026 is a public holiday across Pakistan for Allama Iqbal Day. The Cabinet Division issued Press Release No. 10-01/2026-Min-II in Islamabad on 5 November 2026, signed by Cabinet Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal. Government offices, the State Bank and the stock exchange close that day.

The release does not add a new holiday. It confirms the date already set in January, when the Cabinet Division published the full list of public and optional holidays for 2026. For anyone on a five-day week, it means a three-day weekend from Saturday 7 November to Monday 9 November. Offices reopen on Tuesday 10 November.

We read a signed copy of the release. Below is what it says, who it was sent to, and what it means for offices, banks, schools, courts and private employers.

The Cabinet Division confirmed 9 November in a press release on 5 November

The Cabinet Secretariat's release is titled "Declaration of Public Holiday on the Occasion of Allama Iqbal Day". It is dated Islamabad, 5 November 2026, and carries the number 10-01/2026-Min-II. It runs to one paragraph.

The text reads: "As notified vide Cabinet Division's circular No. 10-01/2025-Min-II dated 19th January, 2026, listing Public and Optional Holidays for the year 2026, Monday, 9th November, 2026 shall be a public holiday throughout the country on the occasion of Allama Iqbal Day."

The words "throughout the country" matter. The holiday is national, so it covers all four provinces, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. A reminder like this one is normal for a fixed date. The Cabinet Division sends it a few days before the day so every office has it in writing.

The release went to a long list of offices. Copies were sent to all federal ministries and divisions, the chief secretaries and inspectors general of police of the four provinces, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan, the Capital Development Authority and the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad. The registrars of the Federal Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Federal Shariat Court and the Islamabad High Court were also copied, along with the State Bank of Pakistan and others.

Offices, banks and the stock exchange close on Monday 9 November

Federal government offices close on 9 November. Provincial offices close too, because the provinces observe the federal list. The weekend runs from Saturday 7 November for offices on a five-day week, so most government staff get three days off in a row.

The State Bank of Pakistan had already said it will close. Its BPRD Circular Letter No. 23 of 2026, dated 3 November and sent to the heads of all banks, development finance institutions and microfinance banks, says the State Bank "will remain closed on Monday, November 9, 2026" for Allama Iqbal Day. Bank branches close on public holidays, so plan branch work for Friday 6 November or Tuesday 10 November. ATMs, mobile banking apps and wallets keep working.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange has 9 November in its own 2026 market holiday calendar, as set out in PSX holidays for 2026. Trading resumes on Tuesday.

Punjab's own notice lists 9 November; other provinces have not posted one yet

Provinces normally follow the federal holiday list with their own notification. We checked the Punjab Services and General Administration Department's notifications page on 5 November. Its notification No. SOW-I(S&GAD)2-1/2025, dated Lahore 19 January 2026, says the holidays "declared by the Federal Government" will be observed in Punjab government offices in 2026. Number 10 on its list is Allama Iqbal Day, Monday 9 November 2026.

A separate Punjab notice for 9 November, dated 30 October, has been reported in the press. It was not on the department's notifications page when we checked, so we have not read it. The January notification already covers the day either way.

For Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, we did not find a 2026 notification for 9 November on their government sites. The Sindh High Court's 2026 holiday notification of 2 February carries the same 12 public holidays, which covers courts in Sindh. The other provinces normally follow the federal calendar, and the Cabinet Division sent this release to every chief secretary. If your province issues a different order, that order applies to its own offices.

Schools, courts and private employers each follow their own rule

Government schools and colleges close on public holidays. Private schools usually close too, but each one sets its own timetable within provincial rules. We did not find a 2026 school notice for 9 November from any province. If your child has an exam or a Saturday class that week, ask the school directly.

The release was copied to the registrars of the four federal courts in Islamabad. Courts close on public holidays, so a hearing fixed for 9 November will need a new date. Ask your lawyer to confirm it.

Private companies are a different case. The Cabinet Division's order binds government offices, not private firms. Whether a factory worker, shop assistant or office employee gets a paid day off depends on the province's labour law and, for shops, on the employer's own festival holiday list. The rules for each province, with section numbers, are in public holiday rights for private employees.

Before the long weekend, these five steps cover most of what can go wrong:

1. List anything due on 9 November: fees, forms, bills or hearings.
2. Finish bank branch work by Friday 6 November.
3. Submit online forms by Sunday 8 November in case portals slow down.
4. Ask your lawyer about any court date on 9 November.
5. Ask your employer in writing whether your office is open.

Diwali falls on the same day as an optional holiday

The January circular also lists Diwali on Monday 9 November, as an optional holiday for Hindu employees. Since Iqbal Day closes offices anyway, Hindu government staff get the day off without using one of their optional holidays. The next optional date is the Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji on Tuesday 24 November. The rules on who may take one are in optional holidays in 2026.

Allama Muhammad Iqbal was born in Sialkot on 9 November 1877, so 2026 marks his 149th birth anniversary. The 9 November holiday also moves deadlines, such as the UHS quota seat date, so finish anything urgent by Friday. Every other date this month is in holidays in November 2026.

Common questions

Is 9 November 2026 a public holiday in Pakistan?

Yes. The Cabinet Division confirmed it on 5 November 2026 in Press Release No. 10-01/2026-Min-II. It applies throughout the country.

Is this a new holiday?

No. It was already on the 2026 holiday list issued on 19 January 2026. The release confirms that date.

Is there a long weekend for Iqbal Day 2026?

Yes, for offices on a five-day week. Saturday 7, Sunday 8 and Monday 9 November make three days off. Work resumes on Tuesday 10 November.

Are banks closed on 9 November 2026?

Yes. The State Bank said on 3 November that it will be closed, and bank branches close on public holidays. ATMs and apps work.

Do private companies have to close on 9 November?

Not because of this release alone. Paid holiday rights for private workers come from provincial labour laws, which differ by province and by type of workplace.

Who signed the 9 November holiday release?

Kamran Ali Afzal, the Cabinet Secretary, signed it in Islamabad on 5 November 2026.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read the Cabinet Division's Press Release No. 10-01/2026-Min-II of 5 November 2026, from a signed copy, on 5 November. We read the Punjab Services and General Administration Department's notification of 19 January 2026 on sgad.punjab.gov.pk the same day. The State Bank's BPRD Circular Letter No. 23 of 2026 was read on sbp.org.pk on 4 November. The January federal circular, the Sindh High Court list and the PSX calendar come from our earlier reports, which read those sources in October. We did not find 2026 notices for 9 November from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Balochistan.