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ISLAMABAD, (MANEND NEWS): A meeting of the central and zonal Ruet-e-Hilal committees is set to convene on Thursday to sight the crescent marking the onset of the Islamic festival of Eidul Fitr.
The meeting of the central Ruet-e-Hilal committee will be chaired by Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad in the federal capital, while the zonal moon-sighting committees are to meet at local designated locations across the country.
Experts, however, do not expect that the moon will be sighted today.
Previously, the council said that Eid is likely to be celebrated across the nation this year on Saturday, April 22.
The council’s Secretary-General, Khalid Ijaz Mufti, had said that the birth of the moon is expected to occur on Thursday, April 20, at 9:15am Pakistan time.
The age of the moon at sunset during today’s evening hours will be 9 hours 33 minutes and 12 seconds. While the sun is expected to set at 6:49pm, the moon is likely to go beyond the horizon at 7:10pm.
This, said the expert, alongside other technical factors, renders the moon sighting to be unlikely today.
According to expert astronomers, it is necessary for the sighting that the moon stays on the horizon for 40 to 50 minutes after sunset, while the moon will stay on the horizon for only 21 minutes after sunset on April 20 in Pakistan.
Further, on the evening of the 29th of Ramazan, the moon’s age at sunset should be more than 19 hours for sighting. However, in all areas of Pakistan, it will be less than 10 hours,
Meanwhile, the government has declared a nationwide public holiday for five days on the occasion.
The holidays will begin on Friday, April 21, and run until Tuesday, April 25, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior.
