KARACHI: Pakistan Railways has decided to run four special trains ahead of Eid Al-Fitr to facilitate passengers traveling to their native cities and villages to celebrate the religious festival with their loved ones, the railways ministry said on Sunday.
Pakistan Railways runs special trains on each of the two major Eid festivals, Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha, for the ease of holiday travelers.
The first Eid special train will depart from Lahore for Karachi on March 16, followed by the second from Quetta to Rawalpindi on March 17.
The third Eid special train will depart from Karachi for Peshawar on March 17, while the last one will leave Karachi for Lahore on March 18.
“The decision to run Eid special trains has been taken on the instructions of the Minister of Railways for the convenience of passengers,” the railways ministry said in a statement.
Three-day Eid Al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan for Muslims worldwide. In Pakistan, Ramadan began on Feb. 19, a day after most other Muslims nations, and the first day of Eid is expected to fall on Mar. 20 or 21.
The Pakistani government has announced a two-day holiday on Mar. 20-21 on account of Eid Al-Fitr, which will be followed by a Sunday on March 22.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s national space agency said the first day of Eid is expected to fall on Mar. 21, however, it added that a final announcement would be made by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, or the moon-sighting committee.
