The moon of the holy month of Ramadan has been sighted. First of Ramadan will be on March 23 [Thursday].
Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced that testimonies were received from different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab including Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Charsadda and other cities. He said that the first of Ramadan will be on March 23.
He said that the sky was clouded in many areas of the country but testimonies were received from other areas where the sky was clear.
A meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee was held in Peshawar to see the moon of the holy month of Ramadan in Pakistan.
Moon could not be sighted in zonal committee meetings of Lahore, Quetta and Karachi, the local committees had announced after the passage of time.
Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad at Auqaf Hall Peshawar while meetings of zonal committees were also held in provincial capitals.
Deputy Director Meteorological Department Alamzeb, earlier, said that the moon of Ramadan could be seen in Peshawar for about 24 minutes and it could be sighted in between 6:53 am to 7:13 pm.
There were clouds in many cities of the country and the weather conditions also caused hindrance in moon sighting.
The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee received the testimonies of Peshawar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially Mardan and Swabi, according to media reports. The wait for testimonies had caused delay in announcement.
Before the meeting, Azad told the media that the committee will work to make sure that everyone in the country observed the first fast and Eid on the same day. Additionally, he stated that witnesses will be gathered from all throughout the nation.
On the other side, Ramadan moon could not be sighted in India and Bangladesh. In these countries the month will also start on Friday.
In Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries the Ramadan is starting today.
