Ramazan moon sighted; holy month to begin in Pakistan on Thursday

The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee announced on Wednesday that the Ramazan moon was sighted, and the holy month would begin in Pakistan on Thursday (February 19).

The announcement was made by committee chairman, Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, as it met in Peshawar for the moon sighting.

Speaking to the media after the committee meeting, Azad said that the skies were clear in some areas and cloudy in others.

He said that testimonies were received from several parts of the country, including Quetta, Islamabad, Waziristan, Dir, Karachi, Buner, Mardan and Tando Allahyar.

Meanwhile, according to the Daily Star, the crescent moon was also sighted in Bangladesh, meaning that the first day of the holy month would be observed on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan observed their first day of fasting on Wednesday after the crescent moon was sighted on Tuesday night.

Earlier this month, based on the moon’s expected age, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) had predicted that the first day of Ramazan was “likely to fall” on February 19.

It is worth mentioning that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced a Rs38 billion Ramazan Relief Package for 12.1 million deserving families across the four provinces as well as Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

“Every deserving family will receive Rs13,000 through a digital wallet or bank transfer, without discrimination based on party affiliation or point of view,” he said.