Pakistan’s Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is set to meet on Tuesday, April 9, to sight the Shawwal moon at the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony.
The meeting, presided over by Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad, will include members from various institutions including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco).
Director General Syed Mushahid Hussain Khalid, Allama Muhammad Dr. Hussain Akbar, Mufti Fazl Jamil Rizvi, and Maulana Muhammad Yasin Zafar will also participate in the meeting.
Members of zonal committees in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, and Peshawar will also contribute to moon sighting.
Emphasising the need for public participation in the process, Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Azad urged citizens to sight the Shawwal moon that would mark the end of Ramadan.
It is pertinent to mention that the PMD predicted that the Shawwal moon is likely to be seen in Pakistan on April 9 across the country.
According to PMD, the birth of the Shawwal moon is expected to emerge on the night of April 8 at 11:21 pm local time.
On April 9, the age of the moon will be 19 to 20 hours. It will be visible to naked eye for about 50 minutes after sunset, the weather department said.
PMD said that if the moon is sighted on April 9, Eidul Fitr will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 10.
Meanwhile, the federal government announced a five-day holiday for the occasion of Eidul Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
According to a statement released by the Cabinet Division, the holidays have been scheduled from Wednesday, April 10, to Saturday, April 13, providing a four-day long break for citizens to celebrate the holy festival.
Eidul Fitr is a significant festival in the Islamic calendar, celebrated at the end of the Holy month of Ramazan.
Muslims all over the world observe a month of fasting, and Eid celebrations mark the end of this period of self-restraint.
