Reporting snapshot · 23 May 2026. This report reflects the Sindh government notification and reporting published on 23 May 2026 and does not include later developments.
What happened
The Sindh government has declared a four-day public holiday for Eidul Azha, from 26 to 29 May, a day longer than the three-day break announced by the federal government, Dawn reported.
Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah issued a notification stating that the holidays would be observed from 26 to 29 May throughout the province. The federal government had announced holidays from 26 to 28 May, Tuesday to Thursday.
The Sindh notification declares 26, 27, 28 and 29 May 2026 as public holidays across the province for all government offices, autonomous bodies, semi-autonomous bodies, corporations and local councils.
The order exempts essential services and departments and offices engaged in preparing the budget for the financial year 2026-27.
Why it matters
The two schedules diverge at the end of the week: Sindh has added Friday, the third day of Eidul Azha, to the federal holiday period. Provincial holiday notifications determine when government offices, courts, schools and many businesses close, and the difference means Sindh’s public institutions will reopen a day later than federal offices. Sindh also parted ways with the Centre in April, when it held out against the federal 8pm closing order for markets and malls, and for Eidul Fitr the federal government had notified holidays for March 20-21.
The exception for budget work reflects the approaching end of the fiscal year on 30 June, when provincial and federal budgets are finalised.
What remains uncertain
It was not immediately clear whether other provinces would announce their own schedules or follow the federal three-day calendar. The exact dates of Eidul Azha depend on the sighting of the moon, and the notified holidays assume the festival falls in the last week of May.
