Optional Holidays 2026 in Pakistan: All 22 Dates, Who Can Take One and How to Apply

Pakistan has 22 optional holidays in 2026, and a government employee needs prior permission from the head of the office to take one. Muslims may take one optional holiday a year and non-Muslims three. Only two are left this year: Diwali on Monday 9 November and the Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji on Tuesday 24 November.

Optional holidays are the dates most people get wrong. They are on the same Cabinet Division circular as Eid and Independence Day, so a forwarded image makes them look like days off for everyone. They are not. We read the circular page by page, and below you will find every optional date, who can claim it, how to ask for it, and what happens if your office says no.

An optional holiday is leave you ask for, not a closed office

An optional holiday does not close any office, bank or school. It lets an individual employee of the right faith stay home for that festival, with the head of the office's permission, provided work does not suffer. Everyone else works as normal.

The rule sits in paragraph 3 of the Cabinet Division's circular of 19 January 2026, "Public and Optional Holidays for the Year 2026". It calls optional holidays "denominational", meaning each belongs to one religious community. The public holidays, which do close offices, are a separate list on the same circular, set out in public holidays in Pakistan 2026.

All 22 optional holidays in 2026

The circular lists 22 optional holidays across Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist and Bahai festivals and New Year's Day. Twenty have passed. Muslim dates carry an asterisk because they depend on the moon.

Diwali falls on Allama Iqbal Day, a public holiday, so federal offices are closed for everyone on 9 November anyway. That leaves Guru Nanak Dev Ji's birthday on 24 November as the only optional holiday this year that needs an application. The rest of the month is in holidays in November 2026.

Muslims get one optional holiday a year and non-Muslims three

Paragraph 3 of the circular caps optional holidays at one a calendar year for a Muslim government servant and three for a non-Muslim. Each needs prior permission, and the grant must not cause "any dislocation of work".

Two more paragraphs shape how heads of office decide. Paragraph 4 says that for Muslim optional holidays, the number of staff off at once should be limited so enough people remain for work to continue. Paragraph 5 says minority employees "should not ordinarily be refused" an optional holiday of religious significance.

How to apply for an optional holiday

Write to the head of your office before the date and get approval in advance. The circular says no optional holiday can be granted without prior permission, so taking the day first and explaining later breaks the rule.

1. Check the date and occasion against the Cabinet Division list above.
2. Count the optional holidays you have already taken this calendar year.
3. Write a short application to the head of office naming the occasion, the date and paragraph 3 of the circular of 19 January 2026.
4. Submit it a few working days early, so your section can plan cover.
5. Keep the approved copy in case attendance is questioned later.

If you are refused as a minority employee, the circular's own words help: paragraph 5 says such a request should not ordinarily be refused. Ask for the reason in writing. Private employers are not bound by the federal circular, so in a private firm the day depends on your contract and your employer's policy.

Provinces can add their own holidays for a festival

The federal list covers federal offices. Provinces issue their own notices, and some go further. Sindh, for example, declared 3 and 4 March 2026 holidays for its Hindu employees for Dulhandi and Holi.

That Sindh notification, dated 1 March 2026 and signed by the Chief Secretary, applied to all Sindh government offices, autonomous bodies, corporations and local councils, for the Hindu community only. If you work for a province, watch its own notices as well; the Sindh list is in Sindh holidays 2026. Exporters, under paragraph 6, can stay open on these holidays if they pay workers overtime on top of normal wages.

Common questions

How many optional holidays can a government employee take in Pakistan?

One a calendar year for a Muslim employee and three for a non-Muslim employee, each with prior permission from the head of office.

Is Diwali a public holiday in Pakistan in 2026?

Diwali is an optional holiday on Monday 9 November 2026. That day is also Iqbal Day, a public holiday, so offices are closed for everyone.

Is 24 November 2026 a holiday?

It is an optional holiday for the Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Offices stay open; Sikh employees can apply to take the day.

Are banks closed on optional holidays?

No. The 2026 circular names only three bank holidays: 1 January, 1 Ramazan and 1 July.

Can a Muslim employee take Shab-e-Barat off?

Yes, as the one optional holiday allowed for the year, with prior permission. The date depends on the moon.

Do private companies have to give optional holidays?

The federal circular is addressed to government offices. In a private company it depends on your contract and company policy.

How we verified this

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

Last checked 27 October 2026. Every date, the one and three limits, the prior permission rule and paragraphs 4 to 6 come from the Cabinet Division circular F.No. 10-1/2025-Min-II of 19 January 2026, which we opened and read on 26 October 2026. The Sindh Holi and Dulhandi holiday comes from the Sindh government's notifications page, notification of 1 March 2026. The count of 20 passed and 2 remaining is our own as of 27 October. The circular does not set a deadline for applying, so "a few working days early" is our advice, not a rule.