According to the central moon-sighting committee, the crescent for the month of Shawwal was not observed in Pakistan on Thursday.
As a result, Eidul Fitr will be celebrated on Saturday, April 22. The committee, chaired by Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, convened at the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Islamabad and announced this decision at a press conference following the meeting.
Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad stated that no credible reports of moon sighting were received from any region of Pakistan.
“Hence it was decided that Eidul Fitr will be celebrated on Saturday.”
Earlier, the councils had forecasted that Eid is likely to be celebrated across the country on Saturday, April 22. The Secretary-General of the council, Khalid Ijaz Mufti, had previously stated that the birth of the moon is expected to occur on Thursday, April 20, at 9:15 am Pakistan time.
During the evening hours of today, the age of the moon at sunset will be 9 hours, 33 minutes, and 12 seconds. While the sun is anticipated to set at 6:49 pm, the moon is expected to go beyond the horizon at 7:10 pm, which, along with other technical factors, makes moon sighting unlikely today, according to experts.
Astronomers emphasize that for sighting, the moon must remain on the horizon for 40 to 50 minutes after sunset. However, on April 20 in Pakistan, the moon will only stay on the horizon for 21 minutes after sunset.
Furthermore, on the 29th of Ramazan, the moon’s age at sunset must be over 19 hours for sighting, but in all areas of Pakistan, it will be less than 10 hours.
Moreover, based on astronomical parameters, it was deemed unlikely that the new moon of Shawwal, 1444 AH, would be visible on the evening of April 20, 2023 (29th Ramazan, 1444 AH). The department provided climate records indicating that the weather was anticipated to be mostly fair or partly cloudy across the majority of the country.
CO-ORDINATES & CHANCE FOR SIGHTING OF THE NEW MOON OF SHAWWAL 1444 AH ON 20-04-2023
According to astronomical parameters, there is No Chance of sighting the new moon of Shawwal, 1444 AH on the evening of 20-04-2023 i.e. on 29th of Ramazan, 1444 AH
Detailshttps://t.co/Qj4v8zZxNM pic.twitter.com/B09ktzPZYk— Pak Met Department محکمہ موسمیات (@pmdgov) April 20, 2023
Lahore:
In Lahore, the zonal committees’ meeting concluded without receiving any reports of moon sighting. The Director-General of Awqaf Punjab stated that no evidence of moon sighting has been reported in Lahore, but the final decision will be announced by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.
Islamabad:
Sources have revealed that the moon has not been sighted in Islamabad, and the Directorate General of Awqaf has confirmed that there have been no reports of moon sighting in the province. However, the final decision regarding the moon sighting will be made by the central moon sighting committee, the zonal committee.
Karachi:
In Karachi, the zonal committee did not receive any testimonies, and therefore the moon could not be sighted in the city.
Eid ul Fitr 2023 Holidays:
Meanwhile, A nationwide public holiday for five days has been announced by the government on the occasion. The Ministry of Interior has issued a notification stating that the holidays will commence on Friday, April 21, and conclude on Tuesday, April 25.
