Ramadhan. The month of fasting, prayers, and repentance. After 30 days of soul-cleansing come the festivities of Eid. However, these 30 days do not mean that a person should shirk his worldly responsibilities, such as doing his business, running his industry, or going to work to earn his daily bread.

Unfortunately, the policy-makers of the country have taken a very relaxed attitude towards this month. Those days are gone when the people used to put in maximum time towards their jobs. Those days are gone when there were only two Eid holidays, and if one of them fell on a Friday (or a Sunday back then ), so be it. There was no way one could get an extra day off in lieu of this.

Nowadays, the situation is a different ball game. The Ramadhan working schedule envisages a shorter work period because people want to take it easy and there is always the crutch of religious emotions to fall on if anybody complained against this light work period. Moreover, the government magnanimously announces at least three Eid holiday. The 1996 Eid holidays are in fact FIVE. From February 20 to 24, if one counts the Friday and Saturday weekend. The residents of NWFP will enjoy NINE holidays. Imagine that !

Therefore, according to some serious calculations, if one goes by the present holiday scenario, there will be FORTY holidays from the year 2005. This will include practically the whole 30 days of Ramadhan and 10 Eid holidays. This will, of course, play well with the Ulema who can then continue praying and preaching undisturbed by worldly pleasures, and with the government officials who crave for maximum free time as their inalienable right.

Of course, all this will play havoc with the nation’s economy, because the business and industrial establishments will be totally shut for the forty days. Of course, the exports will go down the drainpipe because these forty days will be holiday time. Of course, as is believed by many Muslims, the Chehlum is exactly forty days after death. In this case, it will be the Chehlum of the industrial and business community. Those attending the Fateha on the 40th day of the Ramadhan / Eid holidays in 2005, will be representatives from IMF, World Bank, V A Jaffery, Qazi Aleemuddin, and the heads of all national and international banks.

Yours etc :

AZIZ MEMON