Eid ul Fitr chand: PMD issues statement on moon sighting

While all eyes are on Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, which will meet today (Thursday) in Islamabad, the Met Office said Thursday that there are very less chances of sighting the Shawwal moon due to the solar eclipse

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that due to the solar eclipse, chances of sighting the Eid ul Fitr moon in several countries including Pakistan are very less.

The meeting is set to be held at the religious affairs ministry in the capital and will be presided over by Ruet-e-Halal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, a statement from the religious affairs ministry said last week.

The statement further said the meetings of the zonal committees will be held at designated locations across the country.

Earlier, Ruet-e-Hilal Research Council Secretary General Khalid Aijaz also ruled out the possibility of the moon sighting on April 20.

Speaking to Geo News, the official said that the crescent marking beginning of Shawwal will be sighted after the completion of 30 days of Ramadan, according to which Eid ul Fitr will fall on April 22, Saturday.

Aijaz also predicted the time of the moon sighting, saying that the new moon will be born at 9:13am on April 20 and its age will be less than 10 hours that day.

"For the crescent to be sighted, the duration should be more than 19 hours and even if the sky is clear that day [April 20], the moon wouldn't be spotted," he said.

Therefore, any testimony received on April 20 will be false as the month of Ramadan will last for 30 days and the 1st Shawwal will fall on April 22.

The federal government has announced that it had approved a five-day Eid holiday from April 21 to 25.