Despite the Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) having formally appealed to the Lieutenant Governor to reinstate Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s birthday and July 13, Martyrs’ Day, as public holidays, the newly released 2025 holiday list fails to include them.
This omission has sparked discussions about the continued sidelining of significant historical dates linked to the region’s political legacy.
The list for 2025, issued by the Jammu Kashmir administration, comprises a variety of religious, cultural, and national holidays.
It includes Republic Day (January 26), Eid-ul-Fitr (March 31), Eid-ul-Azha (June 7-8), Independence Day (August 15), and Accession Day (October 26), among others. However, the exclusion of Sheikh Abdullah’s birthday—a public holiday before the region’s reorganization in 2019—remains a glaring oversight, especially given the National Conference’s return to power under Omar Abdullah.
The Sheikh’s birthday and Martyrs’ Day were removed from the official calendar by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration several years ago.
The JKNC, after assuming governance, indicated its intent to restore these holidays, yet no action has materialized.
This raises questions about the influence of the multi-centered power structure in Jammu Kashmir, where state-level decisions often face bureaucratic roadblocks.
The other holidays include include Mahashivratri (February 26) and Navratra (March 30) for Hindus, Shab-i-Qadr (March 27) and Jumat-ul-Vida (March 28) for Muslims, Baisakhi (April 13) for Sikhs, and Christmas (December 25) for Christians.
The inclusion of Maharaja Hari Singh’s birthday (September 23) continues to be a politically charged addition, contrasting sharply with the absence of Sheikh Abdullah’s commemoration.
Local and restricted holidays have also been announced, catering to region-specific observances such as the Urs of Shah-i-Hamdan Sahib on February 14 and Mela Khir Bhawani on March 18.