Eid in Pakistan on May 24 as Shawwal moon sighting declared after marathon meeting

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, headed by its Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, took its time before making the announcement that the Shawwal moon has been sighted and Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated all over Pakistan on May 24.

As the whole country waited for the outcome for hours, the chairman of the central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, eventually made the announcement at a press conference after chairing a lengthy meeting in Karachi on May 23. 

Separate meetings of zonal Ruet committees were also held at their respective regional headquarters. It was disclosed that the committee received multiple testimonies of moon-sighting including from Chaman, Pasni and various other places. 

“The moon sighting today was very sensitive and therefore the body had focused on the southern areas where it was expected to be spotted. The judgement of testimonies received from areas where the moon was expected to be sighted took quite a lot of time,” Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman explained. 

Earlier in the day, the Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry, citing calculations made by his ministry, had stated that Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in the country on May 24 and he was eventually proved correct.