Is 9 November a holiday? Iqbal Day 2026 off on Monday, giving a long weekend
Yes: the Cabinet Division has confirmed Monday, 9 November, as a public holiday for Iqbal Day. Who gets three days off, and what else falls that day.
Yes, Monday, 9 November 2026, is a public holiday across Pakistan for Iqbal Day. The Cabinet Division has issued the notification, so schools, colleges and government and private offices will be closed, and many people get a three-day weekend from Saturday, 7 November to Monday, 9 November.
What does the notification say?
The federal government’s notice says the holiday is given under the annual list of public holidays the cabinet approved on 19 January 2026, and it tells all ministries and divisions to make sure it is followed. Iqbal Day was already on that yearly list; this notice confirms the date as it falls this year.
The Punjab government has issued its own notification making 9 November a holiday across the province too.
Who gets a long weekend?
Anyone whose office or school is shut on Saturday and Sunday gets three days off in a row: 7, 8 and 9 November. Normal work resumes on Tuesday, 10 November. People on a six-day week still get Sunday and Monday.
Private employers usually follow the federal holiday list, but some factories, hospitals and shops run as normal, so check with your own workplace. Banks follow separate instructions from the State Bank, which normally issues its own notice for public holidays; check your bank’s announcement before planning a branch visit.
Why is 9 November a holiday?
Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the poet and thinker whose idea of a separate homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent shaped the Pakistan movement, was born in Sialkot on 9 November 1877. The government restored Iqbal Day as a public holiday in 2022 after it had been dropped from the list for several years.
The day usually starts with the change of guard at Iqbal’s mausoleum next to the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, followed by ceremonies, poetry recitals and school events around the country.
What else is happening on 9 November?
Cricket fans get a bonus: the first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka starts at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium the same morning, running from 9 to 13 November. The second Test is in Lahore from 17 to 21 November.
The next public holiday after Iqbal Day is Quaid-e-Azam Day and Christmas on 25 December.
