Maulana Khabeer says testimonies of moon sighting received from Karachi, Mardan, Rawalpindi and Peshawar
The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee on Sunday announced that the moon of Zilhajj 1447 AH had been sighted in the country, and Eidul Azha would be observed on May 27.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairperson Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad said the skies were mostly clear across the country, except in a few areas.
He said testimonies of moon sighting were received from Karachi and other parts of Sindh, as well as Mardan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and several other regions.
“Therefore, it has been decided that the first Zilhajj 1447 AH will be on May 18, while Eidul Azha will fall on May 27,” he said.
According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee for 29 Zilhajj, held on May 17 (today), took place at the Meteorological Department in Karachi.
The meeting was chaired by Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman, while zonal moon sighting committee meetings were also held at provincial headquarters.
Zonal committees met in Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, and Peshawar.
On May 12, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO issued its forecast for the sighting of the Zilhajj 1447 AH moon, stating that Eidul Azha was expected to be observed on May 27.
According to SUPARCO, the new moon of Zilhajj 1447 AH was expected to be born on May 17 at 1:01am Pakistan Standard Time (PST).
It said that on May 17 at sunset, the age of the new moon would be approximately 18 hours and 30 minutes.
Read: Eidul Azha likely to fall on May 27: SUPARCO
The commission stated that a time gap of around 60 minutes between sunset and moonset was expected in Pakistan’s coastal areas.
Based on these astronomical parameters, SUPARCO said the chances of sighting the Zilhajj moon on the evening of May 17 were considered favourable, provided weather conditions remain clear and visibility near the horizon was good.
It said 1st Zilhajj 1447 Hijri was expected to fall on Monday, May 18 marking the end of the month of Zilqad.
