Sindh closes all public and private educational institutions on 9 November for Iqbal Day

KARACHI: The Sindh government has announced a holiday on 9 November at all public and private educational institutions across the province to mark the birthday of Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

The notification was issued by the School Education and Literacy Department. It said schools, colleges and other institutions run by the provincial education department would remain closed that day. Academic activities will resume as usual after the holiday.

The Sindh Information Department shared the notification on the social media website X. Copies of the notification were also sent to senior government officials, including the principal secretaries to the governor and the chief minister.

According to the notification, the decision was approved by the Education Steering Committee at its meeting on 12 February. The provincial government then directed that all public and private schools stay closed.

Allama Muhammad Iqbal was born in Sialkot on 9 November 1877. He is known as a poet, philosopher and thinker, and is called the national poet of Pakistan. In 1930, he presented his political vision at the Allahabad session of the All-India Muslim League.

Iqbal Day remained among the annual public holidays for several decades. The federal Ministry of Interior removed it from the list of holidays through a circular dated 4 November 2015. The circular gave no reason. The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif restored the holiday in 2022.