Ruet-e-Hilal Committee set to meet on Monday to sight Ramazan moon

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is set to meet on March 11 (Monday) to sight the crescent of the holy month Ramazan.

Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad will preside over the meeting, which will begin after Asr prayers in Peshawar. Besides the central committee, the zonal committees will also sit together in their respective areas to receive and assess the moon sighting reports.

Ruet-e-Hilal Committee’s General Secretary Mufti Khalid Aijaz said, in a statement, on Thursday that the Ramazan crescent would easily be sighted on March 11 due to the clear weather conditions.

It is highly expected that the fasting month in Pakistan will commence on March 12.

In Saudi Arabia, the Ramzan crescent is likely to be sighted on March 10 (Sunday). Ramazan is likely to commence in the Kingdom on Monday, following the month-long fasts the Gulf country is expected to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitar on April 10 or April 11.

According to astronomers, the birth of the moon is expected on March 10, but at that time it will not be visible. However, it will clearly appear on March 11. 

However, this year the duration between two prayers Fajar and Maghrib shrunk in Pakistan due to winter, as the season witnesses short days and long nights.

The fasting will commence around 5:15am and will end after 6:30pm, which shows that the total duration of the fasting would be around 13 hours.