Government maintains status quo in holiday calendar 2026; No holidays notified on July 13 & December 05

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, DECEMBER 13 (STC): Omitting July 13 (Martyrs’ Day) and December 5 (birth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah), from the list of holidays, the Lieutenant Governor–led Jammu and Kashmir administration has notified the official holiday calendar for the year 2026.
The holiday list was issued by the General Administration Department today covers holidays to be observed in government offices and educational institutions across Jammu and Kashmir during 2026 .
The holiday calendar, maintaining status quo, includes national holidays, religious festivals, Accession Day and the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, but the continued exclusion of July 13 (Martyrs Day) and December 05 (Sheikh Abdullah’s birthday) is worth noting. This move by the LG-led administration has been keeping alive a politically sensitive issue that has repeatedly strained relations between the elected government and the Lok Bhavan.
It’s pertinent to mention that these holidays were removed from the official calendar after the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory.
After assuming office, the CM-led J&K government formally sent a proposal to the Lieutenant Governor and the Ministry of Home Affairs, seeking the restoration of both July 13 as Martyrs’ Day and December 5 as Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary in the official holiday calendar. The proposal has not been approved so far.

(Straight Talk Communications)