KARACHI: Less than a month after the federal government raised working hours for banks and government agencies, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Friday that it will return to a five-day workweek by restoring Saturday as a bank holiday.
On April 13, the central bank said that it was boosting bank working hours in response to federal government demands by classifying Saturday, which is normally a holiday, as a working day.
Today, however, the central bank reversed that decision, declaring that banks would stay closed on Saturdays across the nation.
According to the SBP, banks will be open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with prayer and lunch breaks from 13:30 to 14:15 p.m.
On Fridays, banks will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with a break for lunch and prayers from 13:30 to 14:30 p.m