Islamabad declares holiday on UAE president’s arrival on Friday

The district administration of Islamabad has declared Friday as a “local holiday within the revenue limits of Islamabad,” coinciding with the day of United Arab Emirates (UAE) President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s arrival in the federal capital.

“All essential services, including hospitals, police, ICT administration, CDA, and utility services, will remain operational,” the Islamabad deputy commissioner announced through a social media post.

This will make four consecutive holidays for the people who have Saturdays and Sundays off, as December 25 is already a public holiday.

Though the Islamabad DC did not mention the reason behind the local holiday, but the Foreign Office has confirmed that the UAE president will arrive on December 26.

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At the invitation of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, the ruler of Abu Dhabi will undertake official visit to Pakistan on December 26. “This will be his first visit to Pakistan as the president of UAE. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers and senior officials,” the FO said.

During the visit, the Abu Dhabi ruler will hold a meeting with the prime minister, where the two leaders will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, the FO said in a handout. It said the visit will provide an important opportunity to further strengthen the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and the UAE.