Almost 50 percent of bank branches will remain operational on Saturday to facilitate the business community and general public. Sources in the banking sector told Business Recorder on Friday that following the directive of the Supreme Court, the State Bank of Pakistan asked two leading banks to keep their branches open.
The State Bank on Friday evening directed presidents of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Habib Bank Limited (HBL) to keep their branches open on Saturday (August 18) for disbursement of salary to Lady Health Workers. SBP's Chief Spokesperson Syed Wasimuddin also said that a letter had already been sent to presidents of both banks.
Sources said that another leading financial institution - Allied Bank Limited (ABL) -had also been allowed by the central bank to keep its branches open on Saturday to facilitate its customers. ABL had requested the SBP to keep its branches open on Saturday, saying that its customers might face difficulties obtaining or depositing cash because of five continuous holidays - August 18-22 - on account of Eidul Fitr.
August 18 has already been declared a public holiday by the State Bank. Sources said that with the grant of this permission, the number of bank branches which would remain functional on Saturday surged to almost 50 percent of the banking sector. The sources said that banks had as many as 10,000 branches across the country, out of which 30 percent or 3,000 usually operated on Saturday. Now, they said, all branches of ABL, HBL and NBP would remain open.
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