Shawwal moon not sighted, Eidul Fitr to be celebrated on Saturday

The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee said on Thursday that the Shawwal moon had not been sighted and Eidul Fitr would be celebrated on March 21 (Saturday). Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad made the announcement while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. The press conference followed a meeting of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, and zonal and district committee meetings at their respective headquarters. He said that the skies remained cloudy over most parts of Pakistan, while in some areas it was clear. He said that no credible moon sighting testimonies were received. The Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chairman said that the 1st of Shawwal would fall on Saturday. Subsequently, a notification was also issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, which stated that Shawwal moon had not been sighted and the month would commence from March 21. It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will celebrate Eidul Fitr on Friday. Last week, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atm­o­sphere Research Comm­i­s­s­ion (Suparco) forecast that Eidul Fitr was expected to fall on March 21 (Saturday) as the cha­nces of sighting the Shawwal moon on March 19 (Friday) were low. Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Depart­ment also predicted that Ramazan was likely to last 30 days this year as the Shawwal moon was unlikely to be visible on March 19.