Punjab Government announces holiday on April 12

The Government of Punjab has announced a public holiday in Lahore on Saturday, April 12, in honor of Sufi saint Hazrat Shah Hussain, also known as Mela Chiraghan.

A notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department (S&GD) on Tuesday stated that all public offices and education institutions within the Lahore district will remain closed on Saturday.

“This public holiday shall be observed in the Lahore district only and will apply to all sub-offices situated within the district,” read the notification. However, the provincial government clarified that the holiday will not apply to the Punjab Civil Secretariat, its attached departments, or regional offices.

Mela Chiraghan — also known as the “Festival of” Lights”—marks the annual Urs of Hazrat Shah Hussain, a revered 16th-century Punjabi Sufi poet. The event attracts thousands of devotees from across the province who gather at his shrine adjacent to the Shalimar Gardens to pay their respects.

The festival, which typically spans several days, features devotional music, poetry recitations, and traditional rituals that reflect Lahore’s deep-rooted spiritual and cultural heritage.

During the festivities, authorities are anticipated to enforce stricter traffic control and security measures in and around the shrine.