The festival of Holi is marked with a national public holiday and sees revellers pour onto the streets. (Representational Image)
Karachi, Pakistan:
Pakistan's southern Sindh province has announced a public holiday to celebrate Holi next week, the first time the "festival of colours" will be officially marked in the overwhelmingly Muslim country.
The move comes days after Pakistan's federal parliament passed a non-binding resolution that called for the country to observe Hindu and Christian holidays.
"We have announced a public holiday across the province on March 24 for the festival of Holi," Maula Bakhsh Chandio, a senior aide to the province's chief minister Qaim Ali Shah told AFP.
A government circular that was tweeted by Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, daughter of the ex-president Asif Ali Zardari, added that all government bodies except essential services would be off for the day.
The Hindu population in Pakistan make up around two per cent of the country's 200 million people and mostly live in southern Sindh province. Christians account for roughly 1.6 per cent of the population.
Religious minorities have long faced economic and social discrimination though there are signs the government is now attempting to improve its track record.
The festival of Holi, which heralds the end of winter and the victory of good over evil, is marked with a national public holiday and sees revellers pour onto the streets. It falls on the last full moon of winter.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The move comes days after Pakistan's federal parliament passed a non-binding resolution that called for the country to observe Hindu and Christian holidays.
"We have announced a public holiday across the province on March 24 for the festival of Holi," Maula Bakhsh Chandio, a senior aide to the province's chief minister Qaim Ali Shah told AFP.
A government circular that was tweeted by Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, daughter of the ex-president Asif Ali Zardari, added that all government bodies except essential services would be off for the day.
The Hindu population in Pakistan make up around two per cent of the country's 200 million people and mostly live in southern Sindh province. Christians account for roughly 1.6 per cent of the population.
Religious minorities have long faced economic and social discrimination though there are signs the government is now attempting to improve its track record.
The festival of Holi, which heralds the end of winter and the victory of good over evil, is marked with a national public holiday and sees revellers pour onto the streets. It falls on the last full moon of winter.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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