Eid in Pakistan: Moon sighting body to sight Shawwal crescent on April 9

ISLAMABAD: As the holy month of Ramadan is about to end, a meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee has been convened for the Eid ul Fitr moon sighting on Tuesday (April 9) in Islamabad.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the committee’s Chairman Maulana Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad will preside over the meeting at the Kohsar Complex before sighting the moon to celebrate Eid ul Fitr.

The moonsighting will mark the end of the holy month of fasting, which means the Muslims in the country will celebrate Eid ul Fitr on Wednesday (April 10). In case the Shawwal moon is not sighted on Tuesday, Eid will fall on Thursday.

Meanwhile, meetings of other zonal and district committees will also be held simultaneously at their respective places on Tuesday evening after Asr prayers.

Besides the members of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, the meeting would be attended by the officials of the meteorology department, Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The meeting would receive testimonies about the Shawwal moon sighting.

In light of the testimonies, Maulana Azad will announce whether the Shawwal moon is sighted or not in the country.

It is pertinent to mention here that the government has already announced holidays for Eid ul Fitr, with offices operating five working days in a week to observe three public holidays from April 10 to 12, while those working for six days will get four public holidays from April 10 to 13.

The Met Office on Monday said that there were strong chances that the first day of Eid ul Fitr would fall on April 10, as the Shawwal moon was expected to be sighted on April 9.

The PMD said the crescent would be born on April 8 at 11:21pm and it would be aged between 19 and 20 hours the next day around Maghrib prayer.

The crescent could be spotted for over 50 minutes around sundown, it said.