On Thursday, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) declared that it would not issue any fresh notes for Eid ul-Fitr via banks or SMS service.

It should be mentioned that the COVID-19 epidemic, which had a major impact on the nation in 2020, caused a revision to the policy governing the issuance of new notes.

The SBP stopped issuing new notes that were previously given to citizens via SMS service or from their various branches after the outbreak.

On the other hand, the federal government has also agreed to give all currently employed and retired government employees an advance payment of their April salary, allowances, and pensions in observance of Eid-ul-Fitr.

The decision was made after a consultation between Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with the latter giving the Secretary of Finance instructions to act as soon as possible.

In order to sight the crescent of Shawaal, the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee has also called its monthly meeting. The meeting has been scheduled on Thursday, April 20. On the same day, zonal committee meetings will also be held in the allocated zones.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony building in Islamabad will host the main gathering. Molana Abdul Khabeer Azad, the session’s chairman, will take the chair.

The federal government will finally shortly declare the Eid ul-Fitr holidays. According to reports, the Cabinet Division has sent a summary of this information to the Prime Minister’s Office.

There will reportedly be five holidays for Eid ul-Fitr, according to reports. According to rumours, the holidays will begin on April 20 and last on April 24.