ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan’s central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is set to meet today to sight the Shawwal 1447 AH moon, which will determine the date of Eid ul Fitr across the country.
The meeting will be chaired by Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Maulana Syed Abdul Khabir Azad and will take place on Thursday (29th Ramadan) at the Kohsar Block of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Apart from committee members, a representative from the Meteorological Department will also participate in the session.
Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal committees will hold their respective meetings in various cities, while the central committee will announce the final decision regarding moon sighting based on received testimonies. Meanwhile, SPARCO has predicted that the moon is unlikely to be sighted today.
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It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court announced a day earlier that the Shawwal moon was not sighted anywhere in the Kingdom. Following this, it was decided that Ramadan will complete 30 days and Eid ul Fitr will be observed on Friday.
The United Arab Emirates and Qatar have also announced Eid ul Fitr on March 20 (Friday).
Authorities in both countries held moon sighting meetings but declared that the moon was not visible, confirming that the first of Shawwal 1447 AH will fall on March 20.
On the other hand, Eid ul Fitr is being celebrated in Afghanistan today after the Shawwal moon was reportedly sighted last night.
According to Afghan media, the country’s Supreme Court confirmed that multiple witnesses in Farah, Helmand, and Ghor provinces testified to seeing the moon, and their testimonies were officially accepted.