Islamabad, July 10, 2024: The federal government on Tuesday announced a two-day public holiday for the 9th and 10th of Muharram.
The notification issued by the Cabinet Division stated, “[…] the Prime Minister is pleased to declare 16th and 17th July, 2024 (Tuesday and Wednesday) as public holidays on the occasion of Ashura (9th & 10th Moharram 1446 AH),”.
Ashura will be observed in Pakistan on July 17 (Wednesday), and Muslims worldwide will mark the occasion with grief and sorrow.
READ: Punjab bans pillion riding under section 144 in Muharram
On Monday, the federal government approved the deployment of armed forces across the country to ensure security during the month of Muharram, ARY News reported. This decision follows requests from authorities in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to deploy military forces to maintain law and order.
Under Article 245 of the Constitution, the Centre authorized the “deployment of army troops/assets and civil armed forces troops/assets” to ensure peace. The Ministry of Interior clarified that the deployment of the army would be based on the ground situation, with the provinces determining the deployment locations.
The federal Ministry of Interior has issued orders for the army deployment, stating that the forces will be deployed to assist the civil administration.
