Ruet-e-Hilal Committee to meet for sighting Ramadan moon on March 11

ISLAMABAD: The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is scheduled to meet in Peshawar on the evening of March 11 (Monday) to sight the Ramadan moon. If the crescent is sighted, the commencement of the holy month will be observed on March 12 (Tuesday).

The meeting will be chaired by Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, the committee’s chairman, and will commence after the Asr prayers. Simultaneously, various zonal committees will also gather in their respective areas to receive and evaluate reports on moon sighting.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have urged their citizens to look for the Ramadan moon on the evening of March 10, suggesting that these Arab countries are likely to begin fasting a day earlier than Pakistan, as is customary.

According to weather expert Jawad Memon, although the moon for the month of Ramadan will be born on March 10, it will not be visible until March 11 when it can be observed with the naked eye.

Memon stated, “The first Taraweeh prayers will be observed on the night of March 11, [with] a 95% likelihood that the first fast will be on March 12.”