KARACHI: The Sindh government on Thursday rejected reports that it has declared holiday for educational institutions on account of Allam Muhammad Iqbal's birth anniversary on November 9.
Secretary Education told media that the government has not announced holiday on Iqbal Day, adding that school and colleges would remain open on Friday.
The federal government has also refused to declare Iqbal Day as public holiday.
On November 6, The government and Opposition members in the National Assembly opposed a resolution to declare November 9 as public holiday.
The resolution for declaration of November 9 as official holiday was moved by the PML-N parliamentarian Dr. Nisar Ahmad Cheema.
However, the resolution was immediately opposed by senior colleague of the mover Chaudhry Ahsan Iqbal and he was also seconded by the Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi and Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari.
Ahsan Iqbal said that declaring November 9 as official holiday would be negation of philosophy of ‘Khudi’ and hard work.
The PML-N leader pointed out that Iqbal Day is observed in educational institutions where students learn from poetry and philosophy of Allama Iqbal and they would be deprived of such activity if November 9 is declared as public holiday