9 November Holiday in Pakistan 2026: Iqbal Day on Monday, What Is Closed and What Stays Open

Yes, 9 November 2026 is a public holiday in Pakistan. It is Allama Iqbal Day, and it falls on a Monday, under the Cabinet Division's holiday circular of 19 January 2026. Government offices, banks, the stock exchange and most schools close. Diwali falls on the same day, as an optional holiday for Hindu employees.

Because it is a Monday, many people get a three-day weekend from Saturday 7 November. Below is what closes, what stays open, what it does to deadlines that fall on 9 November, and how to check a last-minute change.

Iqbal Day on 9 November 2026 is a notified public holiday

Allama Iqbal Day is number 10 on the list of 12 public holidays for 2026 in the Cabinet Division's circular F.No. 10-1/2025-Min-II. The circular gives the day as Monday, 9th November, 2026. No separate notice is needed because the date does not depend on the moon.

Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the poet whose idea of a separate homeland shaped Pakistan, was born in Sialkot on 9 November 1877. So 2026 marks his 149th birth anniversary. The holiday is national, so it applies in all four provinces, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Government offices, banks and the stock exchange close

A public holiday on the Cabinet Division list closes federal offices. Provincial governments and courts follow the same list. The Pakistan Stock Exchange lists 9 November as a market holiday in its own 2026 calendar, as we set out in PSX holidays for 2026.

Bank branches close on public holidays. The State Bank sometimes confirms a holiday with its own press release, and none had been posted for 9 November as of our 24 October check. Plan any branch work for Friday 6 November or Tuesday 10 November. Mobile banking, ATMs, JazzCash and Easypaisa keep working.

Schools follow the holiday, but check your own school

Government schools and colleges close on public holidays on the federal list. We did not find a 2026 school notice for 9 November from any province, because those sites did not open for us. Most private schools follow the same calendar.

If your child's school uses Saturdays as working days or has an exam scheduled that week, ask the school. A private school can set its own timetable within provincial rules. For the next holiday after this one, check whether tomorrow is a holiday.

Diwali on the same day is an optional holiday only

Diwali is listed as optional holiday number 21, also on Monday 9 November 2026. Since Iqbal Day already closes offices, Hindu government employees get the day off either way this year.

Optional holidays need the head of office's prior permission. Muslims may take one optional holiday a year and non-Muslims three, and the circular says minorities should not ordinarily be refused one of religious significance. The next optional date is the Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji on Tuesday 24 November. The full rules are in optional holidays in 2026.

Deadlines on 9 November: finish by Friday 6 November

Several deadlines land on the holiday. The UHS deadline for MBBS and BDS quota seats is 9 November, and the Honhaar Scholarship 2026 round was reported to close the same day. Online forms often stay open on a holiday, but bank payments and branch-paid fees do not.

1. List anything due on 9 November: forms, fees, bills or hearings.
2. Pay fees that need a bank branch by Friday 6 November.
3. Submit online forms by Sunday 8 November in case the portal slows down.
4. Ask your lawyer about any court date on 9 November; courts close, so it will be re-fixed.
5. Check the official source for any change before you travel.

The first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka also starts on 9 November, at 9:30 am PKT in Rawalpindi, so expect traffic near the stadium. And the polio drive of 2 to 8 November ends the day before.

Check any change on the Cabinet Division's site

The government can add or move a holiday by notification. That happens with moon-based holidays and emergencies, rarely with a fixed date like Iqbal Day. If you see a forwarded image saying 9 November is cancelled or extended, open the holidays page on cabinet.gov.pk before you believe it.

Fake holiday notices are common, and the signs to look for are set out in checking a viral government notice. The other November dates are in holidays in November 2026.

Common questions

Is 9 November 2026 a holiday in Pakistan?

Yes. Allama Iqbal Day, Monday 9 November 2026, is a public holiday on the Cabinet Division's 2026 list.

Are banks closed on 9 November 2026?

Bank branches close on public holidays. ATMs, mobile banking and wallets keep working. Do branch work on 6 or 10 November.

Is the stock market open on Iqbal Day?

No. The Pakistan Stock Exchange lists 9 November 2026 as a market holiday.

Are schools closed on 9 November?

Government schools close on public holidays. Private schools usually do too, but confirm with your school.

Is Diwali a public holiday in Pakistan?

No. Diwali is an optional holiday for Hindu employees. In 2026 it falls on Iqbal Day, so offices are closed anyway.

Is there a long weekend for Iqbal Day 2026?

Yes, for anyone whose office closes on Saturday: 7, 8 and 9 November give three days off.

How we verified this

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

We read the Cabinet Division's circular F.No. 10-1/2025-Min-II of 19 January 2026, "Public and Optional Holidays for the Year 2026", on cabinet.gov.pk on 28 October 2026, all three pages. It gives Iqbal Day and Diwali on Monday 9 November, Guru Nanak Dev Ji's birthday on 24 November, the optional holiday rules and the exporters' exemption. We checked the Cabinet Division's latest news the same day; its newest item was the Black Day notice of 26 October, with no change to 9 November. The PSX closure, the UHS and Honhaar deadlines, the Test start time and the polio drive come from our earlier reports, which read those sources. We could not open provincial education sites or find an SBP press release for 9 November.