Shawwal moon not sighted, Pakistan to celebrate Eid on April 22

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced Thursday that the Shawwal moon could not be sighted in Pakistan, and as a result, the nation will mark the event on Saturday (April 22).

“We have not received any testimony of the sighting of the Shawwal moon across the country," Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad said in a press conference in Islamabad.

"Eid ul Fitr will be held across the country on Saturday, April 22. The sky was clear in most parts of the country, while it was cloudy in some places," he added.

The presser came after the committee's meeting — held at the religious affairs ministry with Maulana Khabir in the chair — ended.

Members of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, representatives of the Department of Meteorology, Suparco, and other relevant organisations were present at the meeting.

The committee made the decision after receiving input regarding the sighting of the moon from all over the country.

Earlier, zonal committees from Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Sukkur, and Quetta confirmed that they had received no testimonies of the moon sighting.

In Karachi, Hafiz Mohammad Salafi — who headed the meeting in the metropolis — said the moon could not be sighted in the city as the zonal committee did not receive testimonies.

He said that the moon could have been sighted by 7:17pm.

Similarly, in Lahore, the moon could have been sighted by 7:10pm. However, dark clouds and strong winds precluded the possibility of moonsighting.

Zonal committees in Peshawar, Quetta and Sukkur all confirmed that the moon had not been sighted and no testimonies had been received from anyone.

The Meteorological Department and astronomers had previously said that there was little possibility of moonsighting today and Eid ul Fitr would take place on Saturday.

The federal government has announced that the Eid ul Fitr holidays will commence tomorrow (Friday) and will go on till Tuesday (April 25).

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The moon was sighted in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and as a result, the Gulf states will celebrate the religious event on Friday.

Australian Muslim Council, in a statement, announced that since the Eid moon could not be sighted today, the country would observe the religious festival on April 22 (Saturday).

According to international media, Brunei, Japan, the Philippines and Thailand will celebrate Eid ul Fitr on April 22.

Eid will also be observed in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore on Saturday as the crescent could not be sighted. In Bangladesh, the meeting to sight the moon will be convened tomorrow (Friday).