Government suspends Pakistan Day Parade amid escalating Gulf crisis
Published On 18 Mar, 2026
The federal government on Tuesday said it would not be holding the Pakistan Day parade and ceremonial events this year due to "austerity measures" linked to the Gulf crisis.
Pakistan Day is held every year on March 23 — a public holiday — and is marked with parades, military flypasts, and cultural events across the country.
But "in the backdrop of the ongoing Gulf oil crisis and the consequent austerity measures announced by the government, it has been decided that the Pakistan Day Parade and associated ceremonial events shall not be held" next Monday, a statement issued by the PM Office said.
Instead, the day will be marked with "dignity and reverence through a simple flag hoisting ceremony", it added.
The decision, it added, was taken in line with broader belt-tightening measures announced by PM Shehbaz last week, including cutting the working week for government employees to four days, imposing work-from-home rules and shutting schools to save fuel.
