Pakistan: Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan) holiday June 15-18

Event

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on May 16, is likely to come to an end at sundown on Friday, June 15 (depending on the moon). During this time, operations in Pakistan will come to a virtual standstill as Muslims gather to pray and celebrate with family and friends. Eid al-Fitr celebrations are likely to have a significant impact on many businesses, stock exchanges, and public services, which may be unavailable or operating on a reduced schedule. Festivities (and disruptions) could continue into Monday, June 18. As this period is typically marked by increased travel, heavy road traffic after sundown along with other transportation disruptions (crowded airports, etc.) is to be anticipated.

Additionally, heightened security measures have been announced in major urban areas due to a heightened terror threat. Authorities will deploy thousands of additional police officers in high risk areas such as shopping centers and places of worship to prevent attacks. Islamist militant groups - including Al-Qai'da and Islamic State (IS) affiliates, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), the Afghan Taliban, and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), among others - continue to pose a threat throughout the country despite ongoing military offensives aimed at pushing the militants from their strongholds, first launched in 2014. Pakistan has suffered several deadly attacks in recent months, notably in Lahore, Balochistan, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Context

Eid al-Fitr celebrates the conclusion of a month of dawn-to-sunset fasting and remains one of the most important dates on the Muslim calendar. Generally speaking, the month of Ramadan is historically marred by a significant increase in terrorist threats and as such there is a potential for attacks to be carried out during Eid celebrations. Nearly 96 percent of the Pakistani population is Muslim and 84 percent of them support sharia law, a legal code based on the Quran and other Islamic scripture, as official law of the land in their country.

Advice

Individuals in Pakistan are advised to allow for additional travel time, to remain vigilant, and to avoid large public gatherings.

Due to a high threat from terrorism, as well as kidnapping and sectarian violence throughout Pakistan, some Western governments advise their citizens against nonessential travel to the country as foreign nationals, and in particular Westerners, may be directly targeted.