LAHORE (Kashmir English): As the country celebrates the 76th anniversary of Independence Day, August 14 (Tuesday), the Lahore High Court (LHC) and its subordinate courts across Punjab will remain shut for the public.
For its part, the LHC has finalised arrangements for a special flag-hoisting ceremony to celebrate the auspicious day. Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court Aalia Neelum would hoist the national flag and all the judges of the court would also participate in the ceremony.
Meanwhile, a contingent will give the salute to the Chief Justice and provide the LHC judge with a guard of honour on behalf of the police.
The ceremony would be conducted in the spirit of nationhood and fervour to celebrate the Independence Day of the nation.
Public Holiday on August 14
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has announced a bank holiday on Friday, August 14, to observe Independence Day, followed by the regular weekend holidays.
According to the circular, “The State Bank of Pakistan will remain closed for public dealings on Friday, August 14, 2026, which will be observed as a Bank Holiday”.
The announcement clarified that all banks, development finance institutions, and microfinance banks shall, therefore, remain closed for public dealings on the aforementioned date.
With this, banks will remain closed for three consecutive days this week, starting Friday, followed by the regular Saturday and Sunday, meaning banks will not do public dealing for three days.
Normal banking operations are expected to resume on Monday, August 17.
The three-day closure applies to physical banking services, while digital banking and other services may remain available depending on individual banks.
