Iqbal Day holiday on Monday 9 November 2026: banks closed, three-day weekend for many

The federal government has declared Monday 9 November 2026 a nationwide public holiday for the birth anniversary of national poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal, ARY News reports, citing a Cabinet Division notification.

Who gets the day off

All government offices and federal institutions will stay closed. Because 7 and 8 November fall on a Saturday and Sunday, employees and students who observe a Saturday-Sunday weekend get a three-day break.

Banks closed too

The State Bank of Pakistan has told commercial banks, microfinance banks and development finance institutions that all premises dealing with the public will be closed on 9 November. Branch counters will not open, so plan cash withdrawals, bill payments and cheque deposits for Friday 6 November or the week after. Online banking and ATMs are separate from branch opening hours, but settlement of some transfers can slip to the next working day.

Schools in Sindh

The Sindh education department has announced a holiday for all public and private educational institutions across the province on 9 November. We have not seen a matching notice from the other provinces in the sources we checked, so parents in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan should confirm with their school or education department.

Planning around the long weekend

• Pay utility bills before the due date if it falls on 7 to 9 November. Our electricity bill calculator shows what a bill should be.
• Check courier and exam schedules, since many offices will not process orders on Monday.
• Private offices and markets decide their own closures, so confirm with your employer.

Why the day is observed

Iqbal Day marks the birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, widely regarded as one of the leading intellectual figures of the Pakistan Movement, according to ARY News.

For more on the day's national news, see our Pakistan desk.