Govt announces three-day public holiday for Eid-ul-Adha

The federal government has announced a three-day public holiday for the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, which will be celebrated on June 17 across the country.

From June 17th to 19th (Monday to Wednesday), government offices and many businesses will be closed, allowing families and communities to come together for prayer, feasting, and charitable giving. 

Eid-ul-Adha is one of the two blessed Eids that Muslims celebrate each Islamic year.  It marks the culmination of the Hajj rites at Mina, Saudi Arabia, and commemorates the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God's command.

Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad officially announced the sighting of the Zilhaj moon on Friday, June 7. 

On the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, special Hajj flights transported pilgrims from across Pakistan. The Pakistan Hajj Mission is responsible for over 70,105 government-sponsored pilgrims and more than 80,000 private pilgrims. 

Hajj takes place once a year in Zil-Hajj, the twelfth and last month of the Islamic calendar.

Thousands of pilgrims from Muslim countries around the world converge on Makkah to perform the sacred pilgrimage. The pilgrimage begins on the 8th of Zilhaj and concludes on the 13th.

As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, Haj is a pilgrimage open to all Muslims who are physically and financially able to perform it at least once.