Shawwal moon sighted, Pakistan to celebrate Eidul Fitr on Wednesday

ISLAMABAD: The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee on Tuesday announced the sighting of the moon for the month of Shawwal and said that Eidul Fitr will be celebrated tomorrow (Wednesday), ARY News reported.  

The announcement was made by committee’s chairman, Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

Khabeer Azad said the final decision about the moon-sighting was taken after much deliberation as several testimonies were received from Peshawar and other parts of the country.

After evaluating all testimonies in the parameters of Shariah regarding the Shawwal-ul-Mukarram’s moon sighting, Maulana Azad said the committee has reached a unanimous conclusion that the first Shawwal-ul-Mukarram, 1445 AH would fall on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Concluding his remarks, he fervently prayed for the peace, progress, and prosperity of the nation. Additionally, he beseeched for divine intervention for the innocent people of Palestine and the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, who have been rendering numerous sacrifices in pursuit of their just resolutions.

The central moon-sighting body met at the roof of the Federal Secretariat’s Kohsar Block in Islamabad, while meetings of zonal and district Ruet-i-Hilal committees held at their respective headquarters.

The meeting, chaired by Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, was attended by the members of the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, as well as officials from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Suparco, and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

PMD forecast

Earlier, the Met department said that according to astronomical parameters, there is a “chance” of spotting the moon today. It said the weather was expected to be partly cloudy or fair in most of the country.

According to PMD’s statement, the new moon was born last night at 11:21pm and its age would be between 19 and 20 hours in the evening.

It further stated that sky in southern areas of the country was expected to remain clear, and in the northern areas it could be cloudy, increasing chances of Shawwal crescent sightings today.

Multiple countries across the world will celebrate Eidul Fitr on Wednesday (tomorrow) after the crescent was not sighted on Monday.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Australia are some of the countries which will be celebrating Eid tomorrow.