Govt announces public holiday on April 12

The Punjab government has announced a public holiday in Lahore on April 12, 2025, in observance of Mela Chiraghan, the annual festival commemorating the Urs of 16th-century Sufi saint Hazrat Shah Hussain.

According to a notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department (Welfare Wing), the holiday will be applicable across all sub-offices within the Lahore district. However, the notification clarified that the holiday will not extend to the Punjab Civil Secretariat, its affiliated departments, or regional offices.

Mela Chiraghan, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of Lahore’s most significant cultural and spiritual events.

Held annually at the shrine of Hazrat Shah Hussain, the festival draws large crowds from across the region and features Sufi music, poetry recitations, and traditional rituals honoring the revered Punjabi saint.