3 weekly holidays notification is fake, but a real 9pm market order is not

A notification saying the federal government has moved to a four-day week, with Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, is fake. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's fact-check account said so on 17 September 2026. Offices in Islamabad and the provinces keep their normal working days. In Punjab, the education minister has also rejected any plan to close schools three days a week.

What the fake notification said

The document went round WhatsApp and social media on 16 and 17 September. It was dated 16 September 2026, carried a Cabinet Division heading and cited an earlier notification of 15 September. It said government offices would work only Monday to Thursday.

The MOIB Fact Checker called it fake and said the Cabinet Division issued no such order. The ministry asked people "not to believe or share" the misleading content and to rely only on official government channels for notifications, according to APP and Aaj News.

Why people believed it

The fake notice spread during a real debate about saving fuel. Petrol is Rs 391.22 a litre and diesel Rs 421.45 as of 17 September. On 15 September, ProPakistani, citing unnamed government sources, reported that the government was weighing a "smart petroleum lockdown": a four-day working week, with Friday to Sunday as restricted movement days. It said a report would go to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for a decision.

Ministers have denied that any such plan was discussed. Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik told a press conference in Islamabad on 15 September that there had been no discussion so far about a smart lockdown, Daily Ausaf reported. He said the government would look at more austerity measures instead. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the same day that no smart lockdown proposal came up at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. That meeting was about petrol subsidies for rickshaws and vehicles up to 800cc, Daily Pakistan reported.

Traders have already pushed back. All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran president Ajmal Baloch warned of street protests if the idea goes ahead, Lahore Times reported.

Punjab minister: schools stay open

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said in an interview reported on 17 September that no proposal to close schools three days a week had been put to him. He argued that closing schools on Fridays would save very little fuel, because about 90% of government school students walk to school, and a similar share of private school students do too. He asked the federal government to exempt the education sector from any such restrictions so schools can follow their normal timetable.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Elementary and Secondary Education Department called a separate viral notification fake. That notice claimed schools would close on Fridays and Saturdays for two months to save fuel, ARY News and ProPakistani reported on 15 and 16 September.

What the government actually notified

On the evening of 17 September the Cabinet Division did issue a real austerity and fuel conservation notification. It is not a four-day week and it does not close schools. What it does:

• Shops, markets and malls close at 9pm
• Marriage halls and marquees close at 10pm
• Restaurants and cafes close at 11pm, with takeaway and delivery exempt
• Fuel for official government vehicles cut by 50 percent for three months
• A three-month ban on official foreign travel
• One dish only at marriage functions

Pharmacies, hospitals, bakeries, tandoors, dairy shops, fuel stations, gyms, IT companies and call centres are exempt from the closing times. Full detail is in our story on what the new austerity order changes.

This is the point worth holding on to: the real measure targets shop and office hours and government fuel use. It does not change anyone's working days. If a message reaches you claiming extra weekly holidays, it is still fake.

What this means for you

• Government employees: work Monday to Friday as usual (and Saturday where your office already does). No four-day week has been notified.
• Parents in Punjab: schools run on their normal schedule. Only a notification posted on the School Education Department's official channels changes that.
• Parents in KP: the department has told parents to ignore the Friday-Saturday closure notice.
• Before you forward: check the Cabinet Division website, the provincial department's official page or the MOIB Fact Checker account on X. Fake notices often copy real letterheads and dates.

If fuel costs are squeezing your commute, see today's petrol price, work out your monthly spend with the fuel cost calculator, and read why the minister says fuel is covered for September and October.