The government has decided to do away with national holiday on the birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, which is celebrated on November 9. There would be no holiday on Iqbal Day, said a statement issued by the Interior Minister, adding all the offices and education institutes would remain open as usual. Iqbal was a poet, philosopher, and politician and is widely regarded as having inspired the Pakistan Movement. He is considered one of the most important figures in Urdu literature, with literary work in both the Urdu and Persian languages.