Shawwal moon-sighting: Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee to meet on Tuesday

Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will meet on Tuesday (April 9) for Shawwal moon-sighting at the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony in Islamabad.

Chairman Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad will preside over the meeting and it will see the participation of members from various institutions, including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Pakistan Meteorological Department, and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco).

Meanwhile, the meetings of zonal and district committees will also be held simultaneously at their respective places on Tuesday evening after Asr prayers.

The meeting would receive testimonies about the Shawwal moon sighting.

In light of the testimonies, Maulana Azad will announce whether the Shawwal moon is sighted or not in the country.

The moonsighting of Shawwalul Mukarram will mark the end of the holy month of fasting, which means the Muslims in the country will celebrate Eid ul Fitr on Wednesday (April 10).

In case, the Shawwal moon is not sighted on Tuesday, Eid will fall on Thursday.

On the other hand, the federal government has already announced holidays for Eid ul Fitr, with offices operating five working days in a week to observe three public holidays from April 10 to 12, while those working for six days will get four public holidays from April 10 to 13.

The Met Office on Monday predicted there were strong chances that the first day of Eid ul Fitr would fall on April 10, as the Shawwal moon was expected to be sighted on April 9.