Friday or Sunday, what will be the new weekend in Pakistan?
Pakistan changed its weekend at least twice since independence in 1947
Dubai: Is Pakistan going to change the weekend again from Sunday to Friday?
The answer is no.
The rumours that have been circulating have finally been quashed.
“No change in weekly holiday calendar is under consideration, all such rumours regarding change in this regard are baseless,” Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, has said.
Pakistani media had reported during the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s recent visit that the government was considering to change the weekend day off from Sunday to Friday to enable better trade ties with Arab countries, especially with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates where Friday is the weekend.
The news about changing the weekend in Pakistan also went viral on social media early this week, but Hussain broke the silence on Thursday and debunked all such rumours.
In Pakistan, there is a two-day weekend (Saturday and Sunday) for federal government institutions whereas provincial governments still give one day off on Sunday with a half working day on Friday.
When Sunday became the weekly off in Pakistan
Pakistan has changed its weekly off day at least two times in the past. At the time of its independence, the weekly off-day was Sunday.
The weekend was changed from Sunday to Friday in 1977 by the then military dictator General Ziaul Haq. Pakistan had observed Sunday as the weekend since its independence in 1947.
Again, the weekend was changed from Friday to Sunday in 1997 by the then Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif to cope with the demands of businessmen dealing with the international market. The weekend was changed from Friday to Sunday as Pakistan was financially and commercially cut off from the rest of the world three days a week with the Friday holiday.