FACT CHECK: Govt has not announced six holidays for Muharram
Govt clarifies notification regarding Muharram holidays circulating on social media is fake
September 06, 2019
The official Twitter account of the Pakistan government on Friday clarified that the government had not declared six nationwide holidays starting from September 6th to September 11th.
In the message shared on the social networking platform, the government said that a notification circulating in the media regarding the announcement of the holidays was fake.
"The attached notification is fake and no such instructions have been issued by Government of Pakistan," the tweet read, and a picture of the fake notification was attached as well.
In the fake notification, possibly spread to create panic among people, six days, staring September 6th and ending on September 11, were declared nationwide holidays on account of security threats.
People were advised to stay inside and not venture into public places, especially in Lahore, as the first 10 days of the holy month of Muharram came to a close.
The original notification, in which the government had announced that September 6th would be celebrated as Defence Day and Kashmir Solidarity Day was shared in the post on Twitter as well.
Earlier this month, the provincial government had announced a ban on pillion riding across Sindh, including Karachi, on 9th and 10th Muharram, according to a notification from the Sindh Home department.
The notification said the ban on pillion riding and other acts was being implemented under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to maintain the situation of law and order during Ashura throughout the province.
The ban was also applicable on playing or transmission of provocative hate-speech either through audio, video cassettes or CD/DVDs, television cable transmission, or any other medium.
