Half day holiday in government offices, full day in academic institutions

Islamabad: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, considering importance of local government polls in the federal capital, announced half day holiday (from 2 p.m.) today (Monday) in government offices and allowed full day holiday in educational institutions due to election duties of teaching staff and establishment of polling stations in schools and colleges.
To further ease government employees having their votes in the federal capital, the Ministry of Interior has allowed them to cast their votes even before 2 p.m. by bringing it into the notice of their immediate officers.
The way the government was criticised for cancellation of the 9th November’s public holiday by the employees of government offices and departments three week back, the same was witnessed on the eve of local government elections in the federal capital scheduled for today (November 30).
There is no tradition of public holidays across the world, the way we expect and celebrate public holidays, particularly when it is coincidentally attached with weekly holidays.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, when contacted by this scribe, said that Pakistan is facing various national and international challenges, including economic, social and security issues. Pakistan can only be taken to the path of prosperity by pursuing the path of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah who urged the people of Pakistan, ‘kaam, kaam aur sirf kaam’ (work, work and only work) and “we have to work as a nation”, the minister maintained.
It has been observed that government employees remain eager to avail public holidays, particularly when these are coincidentally attached with weekly holidays. “Two weekly holidays are sufficient to have rest and solve family issues but we have transformed it into our traditionsto have as many public holidays as we can”, he said. The majority of people residing in Islamabad are associated with government jobs and it has been observed that scores of people doing government jobs usually visit their home stations on weekly holidays in routine, but when two weekly holidays are coincidentally attached with additional public holiday falling either on Friday or Monday, it becomes a bundle package for them to celebrate it with their families in their hometowns.
The work and performance of the public-related government offices is an open secret for all those who have to interact with the staff of these departments and routine and schedule of working there.
In five-day week, on Fridays only a few employees return to their offices after offering ‘Juma’ prayers as most of them go to their homes directly from mosques. It is very easy to find faults and raise questions on the performance of the government, but whenever we are required to work we prefer to make different excuses and make endeavours to disassociate ourselves from responsibilities. It has become our national character to slip away from our responsibilities on different excuses. Everyone finds faults with state institutions and miserable working atmosphere in government offices. If one looks at the gravity of the situation, one will come to realise to whom we are blaming, if everyone fulfils his responsibilities in a fair way, there would be no complaints.