Despite the end of Eid-ul-Azha holidays, offices in the Federal Capital witnessed thin attendance on Friday with more than half of the staff yet to return from their hometown despite Saturday having been notified as a working day. According to a notification issued by Ministry of Interior, there would be public holidays from August 12 to 15 (Monday to Thursday), while August 17 (Saturday) will be a working day.
Government employees enjoyed nine holidays of Eid-ul-Azha this year with a majority allowed to take leave for August 16-17. All the government, semi-government and private offices, including banks and financial institutions, reopened on Friday but observed very low attendance after the four-day official Eid holidays. The festive mood prevailed in most of the offices, and officials and staffs were seen exchanging Eid greetings with their colleagues.
Sources in Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) claimed that the attendance in the office was below 50 percent and only those permanently resident in the twin cities were present in the office. In Board of Investment (BoI) only residents of the twin cities attended office with the full staff contingent expected to attend office on Monday, an official of the Board said. The attendance in Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence, Petroleum Division, Water and Power Division, Privatization Division and other government departments revealed low attendance, a survey of Business Recorder revealed.
The total strength of federal government employees is 581,240 including 32,334 female employees and 16,711 non-Muslim employees, states the Establishment Division Report 2017-18. The report revealed that sanctioned posts are 660,657 against the filled seats of 581,240. The number of vacant posts is 79,417. The number of employees belonging to occupational groups is 6,298.
"This means that federal government is being run by only 290,630 employees during 16 and 17 August (Friday-Saturday) and the rest return on Monday," an official of Petroleum Division said. The government granted an additional one day holiday during the Eid festivities and revised the earlier notification issued by Ministry of Interior on January 7, 2019 which allowed only three holidays for Eid-ul-Azha.
Ministry of Interior released a list of nine public holidays in 2019. According to the notification, there would be a national holiday for Kashmir Day on February 5, Pakistan Day on March 23, Labour Day on May 1, Eid-ul-Fitr from June 5 till June 6, Eid-ul-Azha from August 12 till August 14, Independence Day on August 14, Ashura from September 9 till September 10, Eid Miladun Nabi on November 10 and Quaid-e-Azam Day on December 25.