MET office forecasts strong chances of sighting Shawwal moon tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast a strong possibility of visibility of the Shawwal moon on June 25 (Sunday) due to a clear sky in most parts of the country. 

According to PMD’s statement, the Shawwal moon will start appearing in the sky at 7:30PM on Saturday and scientifically it will be sighted for the longest duration in the coastal town of Jiwani tomorrow (Sunday). The moon will be seen in the sky for 75 minutes.

“There are high chances of Eid to be celebrated on June 26 since the sky is expected to be clear in most parts of the country with a strong possibility that the moon will be sighted on Sunday evening,” the statement added.

The central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will hold a meeting on Sunday chaired by Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman for moon sighting and collecting eyewitnesses against it. The provincial and zonal moon sighting committees will also meet at their respective headquarters.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yusuf said that any other meetings for moon sighting are illegal and there were be strong action against them.

Meanwhile, there is possibility that residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  and the FATA may hold Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations with rest of the country. The moon sighting meeting at Masjid Qasim Ali Khan in Peshawar by controversial cleric Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai  will not be held as he is reportedly out of the country.

Therefore, people of KP and FATA are likely to celebrate Eid festival with rest of the country shattering the trend of celebrating a day earlier.