ISLAMABAD: The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee (RHC) announced Wednesday Eid ul Fitr would be observed on Thursday, May 13, in Pakistan after the Shawwal moon was sighted today.
The development came after a meeting took place in Islamabad at the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony with RHC Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad in the chair.
The testimonies were received from Chaman, Pasni, Killa Saifullah, Peshawar, Mirpurkhas, and several other areas, Maulana Azad said during the post-meeting press conference.
Members from the central and zonal committees were in attendance and the RHC made the decision based on testimonies from different parts of the country.
Members from the central and zonal committees were in attendance and the RHC made the decision based on testimonies from different parts of the country.
Officials from the meteorological department, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), and the Ministry of Science and Technology also attended the meeting.
The zonal committees of Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Kohat, Quetta, and Sukkur had earlier ended their meeting after they could not sight the Shawwal moon.
The meetings of the zonal committees took place at their respective headquarters.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department had said that the crescent moon will be visible when it is 20 hours and 40 minutes old.
Peshawar Meteorological Department had also said the moon is not likely to be sighted today due to cloudy weather. Similarly, the Quetta Meteorological Department said that the Shawwal moon is unlikely to appear in Balochistan.
Azad had earlier stated his resolve to ensure that Eid is celebrated on the same day throughout Pakistan.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department had said that the crescent moon will be visible when it is 20 hours and 40 minutes old.
Earlier, the Meteorological Department had said that Pakistan would observe Eid-ul-Fitr on Friday, as there was "no chance" of citing the Shawwal moon on May 12, Wednesday.
Peshawar's unofficial Ruet-e-Hilal Committee has announced that it has sighted the Shawwal moon, claiming that it had received 189 testimonies from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in this regard.
The committee said Eid would be celebrated tomorrow.
Mufti Shahab Uddin Popalzai said the zonal committee had been made aware of the testimonies.
Meanwhile, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee in India said it had not received any testimony of the Shawwal moon being sighted, therefore, Eid would be observed on May 14 — Friday.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, in his statement on the matter, had earlier said the moon's age at the moment is 13 hours and 42 minutes.
The minister had said there were "no chances of sighting the [Eid] moon today".
He added that people who wished to celebrate Eid with Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan should just say so.
"Ending the holy month on a lie is not a wise thing to do."
Earlier, the Meteorological Department had said that Pakistan would observe Eid-ul-Fitr on Friday, as there was "no chance" of citing the Shawwal moon on May 12, Wednesday.
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