Secretariat sees low attendance on last working day before Eid holidays
Low attendance among officials and employees was observed at the Secretariat, the administrative centre of the government, today (27 March), the last working day before the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.
Most staff members showed up merely to mark their attendance, while the presence of senior officials was also sparse.
A visit to various offices within the Secretariat around 11am revealed that more than half of the officials were absent. Those present appeared to be in a holiday mood. Some sections of certain ministries were nearly empty.
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Several officials say many had taken leave in advance and did not come to the office today. Others had travel plans for the day, with tickets booked to leave the city for their hometowns.
After ensuring their attendance and obtaining approval from senior officials, they either left early or were preparing to do so. As a result, attendance remained low, and work was minimal, as per the officials.
Visitor presence at the Secretariat was also lower than usual, though security measures remained unchanged.
The nine-day government holiday for Eid-ul-Fitr begins on Friday. Depending on the sighting of the moon, the festival – the largest religious celebration for Muslims in the country – will be observed on either 31 March or 1 April.
