Daily Times

The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee on Friday said that the Ramazan moon was not sighted in the country and that the first day of the holy month would fall on Sunday (March 2).

Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, while speaking to the media in Peshawar, said that the different zonal committees across the country were set up to receive testimonies for the moon sighting.

“No testimony was received for sighting of the moon from any place in the country,” he said, adding that after reaching a consensus, it was decided that the first day of the holy month will land on Sunday.

In a separate announcement following the committee’s decision, the federal government also announced that the Ramazan moon was not sighted, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony. Ramazan 1 shall commence on Sunday (March 2), according to the notification.

It was reported earlier in the day that the 24-member committee had assembled and that the weather in Peshawar was overcast, which lessened the possibility that the moon would be sighted. Zonal Ruet-i-Hilal Committees in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and other cities also gathered to sight the new moon, according to media reports.

The zonal committee in Quetta said that the moon had not been sighted anywhere in Balochistan, quoting zonal committee member Maulana Anwarul Haq Haqqani. “There was heavy rain in the coastal areas of Balochistan,” Haqqani said, adding that the central committee was updated about the situation. “The central Ruet-i-Hilal committee will announce the final decision,” he added.