The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) declared on Wednesday that all banks will be closed on February 5 (Monday) in observance of Kashmir Day.
“As a public holiday on the occasion of ‘Kashmir Day,’ as declared by the Government of Pakistan, the State Bank of Pakistan will remain closed on Monday, February 5, 2024,” the central bank said in a statement.
Every year on February 5, Pakistan celebrates Kashmir Day in remembrance of the suffering and sacrifices made by Kashmiris living in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The Cabinet Division decided to observe a one-minute silence at 10 a.m. on February 5, the day the federal government declared to be a national holiday last week.
The government of Sindh also released a notification earlier today on the observance of Kashmir Day.
The country sends the residents of the Indian-occupied valley a message of support and unity.
India and Pakistan are still at odds over the Kashmir dispute, and Islamabad is always pushing for a global vote on the disputed region.
After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unilaterally decided to remove Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which gave the IIOJK unique status, on August 5, 2019, the conflict caused uproar throughout the world.
Pakistan has further insisted that, until Kashmir’s special status is reinstated, relations with its nuclear neighbor will not normalize.
