Shaheer Ahmed
The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is scheduled to convene on Thursday to sight the moon of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar.
The central committee and its zonal subsidiaries will hold the meeting in different cities of Pakistan. Later on, Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Kabir Azad will hold a press conference to announce whether the moon has been sighted or not.
However, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the moon is unlikely to be visible from anywhere in the country on Thursday. Therefore, it is expected that Eidul Fitr, the festival that marks the end of Ramadan, will fall on April 22.
The PMD’s prediction is based on the occurrence of a solar eclipse in Pakistan on April 20, which took place on the 29th day of the moon date, with the new moon expected to appear on the following day. Astronomers have stated that the new moon will not be visible in countries where the solar eclipse occurs on April 20.
It is noteworthy that the International Astronomy Center of Saudi Arabia had previously announced that Eidul Fitr would fall on Saturday, April 22, which is a day later than anticipated. The center had explained that it would not be possible to sight the crescent of the moon on Thursday (Ramadan 29) from anywhere in the Arab and Islamic world, and therefore, Eid would be celebrated on Saturday, April 22.
