The National Assembly has taken up a resolution to declare Holi, Diwali and Easter as holidays for minorities.
Why for the minorities only? Why not the Muslims too?
Most of the holidays in Pakistan are linked with religious rituals.
The government has done well by coming up with many more holidays which are linked with religious and cultural rituals. Eid days are spent indoors, but they provide reunion occasions to families and friends. Similarly, holidays on Easter, Besakhi and Dewali will generate a hell of celebrations and related economic activities besides boosting the much needed interfaith harmony in the country.
As public holiday on the Iqbal Day is a thing of past for Pakistan, barring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it is time to retrospect over the structures and purpose of red letters days of Pakistan, which made public holidays.
Do you remember how would you spend the Iqbal Day?
“A good November day suitable for a picnic at a resort,” one would respond. Some would attend a seminar or an academic discussion on the teachings of Iqbal, while several would read special supplements of newspapers dedicated to the Hakeemul Umat, Poet of the East and the Musawar-i-Pakistan.
This year, the Nawaz Sharif government canceled public holiday on the Iqbal Day, November 9, the birthday of national poet Dr Muhammad Iqbal. The decision was made public through an Interior Ministry circulation issued on November 4.
The decision was taken in haste and very late. Except for employers, the decision left students and workers were shocked by the decision.
The hasty decision cast gloom on courts too. The notification regarding ‘no-holiday’ for Punjab judicial officers and courts was issued by the Lahore High Court on November 5, which reached judicial officers across the 36 districts the next day.
“It’s of no use as more than 1,800 judicial officers in Punjab courts (to announce the cancellation of the holiday) as they sat idle in courts, chambers and offices on November 9,” said a judicial of a south Punjab district. He gave a plausible reason to support his arguments.
There are 141 district sessions court judges, 445 additional district sessions court judges, 37 senior civil judges and 1,168 civil judges who are working in field and conducting courts.
“Weeks before, when judges started adjourning cases and fixed date for their next hearing, they did not fix any case on November 9 taking it a gazette holiday,” he said. The Punjab Bar Council announced boycotting the courts on November 9 in protest against the government’s decision.
Other than courts, schools were taken aback by the sudden announcement.
Several schools across the country either plan Iqbal related ceremonies or a day out at some nearby resort on the Iqbal Day. Lahore’s recreational places like the zoo, parks, museum, hotels and shopping malls are abuzz with lots of activities due to an influx of students from nearby districts.
“Visits by schools to recreational places generate a lots of tourism activity boosting local economies,” says Asad Ali, a corporate human resource expert.
But there are several people who oppose the culture of doing no productive work on public holidays, observed in the name of national heroes.
In Pakistan, now after the abolition of Iqbal Day as a public holiday, there is only December 25, the birthday of the father of nation, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a public holiday in the name of a national personality. Other than that, there is a public holiday on Rabiul Awal 12, the birthday of the holy prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). Besides that, there is a holiday on February 5 (Kashmir Day), March 23 (Pakistan Day), May 1 (Labour Day), August 14 (Independence Day), Muharram 9 and 10 and three holidays each on Eidul Fitr and Eidul Azha.
Those who grew up in the 80s and 90s would have the pleasure of extra holidays. There were no offices and schools on April 21 (death anniversary of Dr Iqbal), September 6 (Defence Day), September 11 (death anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah), Shab-i-Meraj, Shab-i-Barat and Haj Day. For one year, the country came to a standstill on May 28, the day when Pakistan went nuclear, which was marked as Youm-e-Takbeer. Before it was elevated to it a ritual annual holiday, the takeover by General Musharraf put the Youm Takbeer to a sleep.
During the second regime of the Nawaz government, the number of holidays shrank. That was when the Nawaz government had abolished the May 1 holiday giving a deafening response to workers of Pakistan. Then international media and working classes joined the condemnations. The next year, the May day holiday was restored much to the delight of the working class.
“The withdrawal of the Iqbal Day holiday is in accordance with the teachings of Iqbal who wanted the Muslims to regain the past glory through extra time workings,” says Khizar Gilani, a development expert, working with the development sector of Pakistan.
Muazam Ali Shah, a Sheikhupura-based educationist, also supports the abolishment of the public holiday on December 25, the birthday of the Quaid-i-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Instead, he says, the December 25 holiday should be linked with Christmas.
He says we all know that the country comes to celebrations on December 25 just because of Christmas celebrations, not because of the Quaid’s anniversary. Similarly, the March 23 should be declared as Republican Day or Democracy Day. He is in favour of a Kashmir-only holiday on February 5.
If holidays and their links with celebrations or commemorations are viewed, only three holidays stand out – August 14 Rabiual Awwal 12 and Yaum Ashur. On August 14 and Rabiula Awwal 12, masses come to roads and decorate buildings, homes, streets and vehicles, while on the Youm Ashur, a visible activity is seen across the country.
