Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in the country tomorrow as the Shawwal moon has been sighted, Chairman Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman said on Saturday after a prolonged meeting in Karachi.
The committee’s meeting was held in Karachi with Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman in the chair, while meetings of the zonal committees also took place at their respective provincial headquarters.
He said that decision was made after receiving authentic testimonies from Balochistan's Chaman and Pasni areas.
Responding to a question about Federal Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Mufti Muneeb demanded that Prime Minister Imran Khan must stop him from interfering in the religious matters.
He said that the minister "has no real authority" to decide over such matters and rejected the perception that the announcement was made under any pressure from the government.
Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, Fawad had said: “The Shawwal moon was born on May 22 at 10:30pm and will be visible between 7.36pm and 8.15pm tonight in Badin, Thatta and Pasni.”
‘Simple Eid’
Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the nation to observe the Eid with simplicity amid the coronavirus pandemic and the plane crash tragedy in which nearly 100 people were killed.
In a tweet, he said: “I want our nation to observe this Eid in a different manner from the usual celebratory style. First, let us think of & pray for all those families who have been deprived of their loved ones by the plane crash tragedy & all those who have lost their lives to COVID19.”
The premier also reminded the countrymen to follow the SOPs issued to stop the spread of COVID-19.
He said the disease is with us and social distancing must be strictly observed throughout the Eid holidays.
Eid in India and Bangladesh on Monday
Meanwhile, the authorities in Bangladesh and India have announced that Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on May 25 (Monday) as the Shawwal moon was not visible today.
Delhi’s Jama Masjid Shahi Imam in a statement said that the moon was not sighted today and Eid-ul-Fitr well be celebrated in Indian on Monday. He also appealed to the people to take precautions and maintain social distancing.
A senior official of Bangladesh's religious ministry confirmed that the Shawwal moon has not been sighted in the country and the first of Shawwal will fall on Monday.
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Sunday as the moon was not sighted on Friday.
The Jeddah-based Okaz paper reported that the moon-sighting committee had said that Saturday, May 23, would be the last day of Ramadan, while Sunday, May 24, would be the first day of Eid — Shawwal 1, 1441.
The UAE will also celebrate Eid on Sunday as the moon-sighting committee set up by the justice ministry announced that the moon was not sighted and Shawwal 1 would fall on Sunday, May 24.
The newspaper also reported that Indonesia, Turkey, Indonesia, and Qatar would also observe Eid on Sunday.