LAHORE: A petition seeking a ban on the shopping festival Black Friday has been submitted to Islamabad High Court (IHC). The petitioner urged the court to place a ban on Black Friday as this term is not in line with the teachings of Islam. Black Friday, usually celebrated in the United States, is regarded as the first day of the Christmas shopping season on which retailers make many special offers for customers. The petitioner has objected to the term ‘Black Friday’ stating that our religion associates sacredness to Friday, therefore, calling it ‘black’ is a crime. “In the dictionary, Black Friday means ill-fated or black day. That is why the court must ban the celebration of Black Friday in Pakistan,” the petitioner added. He also urged the court to restrict government officials from attending ceremonies under the title “Black Friday”. Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) Managing Director Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor has also condemned the celebration of the festival in Pakistan. “It is annoying that some business corporations are blindly following western culture just to get financial benefits,” he said. Advocate Azhar Siddique, in a letter to the prime minister and the president, suggested that the festival could be celebrated under the banner of “Bright Friday”. Black Friday is going to be celebrated in Pakistan on November 24.