Pakistanis will observe Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday, May 13 as the Shawwal moon was sighted on Wednesday — Ramazan 29.

Chairman Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad announced the decision after the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee in Islamabad to sight the Shawwal moon received witnesses of the moon sighting from KPK, Balochistan and Sindh.

According to 24NewsHD TV channel, the 12 pieces of evidence were deemed as credible after thoroughly investigating the witnesses. 

Sandwiched between scientific evidence backed by an emotional Federal Minister for Information Technology Fawad Chaudhary and evidence poured in on social media from Balochistan senators of moon sighting coupled by evidence emerged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the announcement of Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, the Committee took ages to reach on the decision regarding the Eid.

It means Pakistan would join the Middle East and European countries in observing the Eid festival on the same day.

The decision averted a controversy as the scientific evidence and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary were against the possibility of moon sighting.

Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai of Masjid Qasim Khan has announced to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday, May 13.  Mufti Popalzai has claimed to have received 23 testimonials of moon sighting and thus announced the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday.

Azad has earlier stated his resolve to ensure that Eid is celebrated on the same day throughout Pakistan. However, the residents of North Waziristan have already celebrated Eid before anyone in the world on Wednesday. 

According to 24News correspondent Azmat Ali Shah in Peshawar, Peshawar Zonal Committee has received testimonials of moon sighting from four different areas. There were seven witnesses from the sub-urban area of Peshawar Surizai while one person has appeared before the zonal committee to testify about the moon sighting.

In Peshawar, the zonal RHC meeting was held at the Auqaf Hall under the chair of Maulana Ehsaan. He is the chief of the Peshawar zonal RHC. Maulana Ishaq, Qadri Abdul Rauf and Mufti Fazlullah Jan, Maulana Mohammad Ali Shah, Maulana Irshad Hussain and Maulana Abdul Baseer take part in the meeting.

Senator Kahuda Babar Baloch from Balochistan has claimed that the Shawwal moon has been sighted in the parts of Balochistan. Kahuda Babar Baloch, a senator from Gawadar, took to Twitter to reveal the moon sighting and also put details of the citizens who witnessed the moon in Dasht and Turbat areas along with their contact numbers.

However, according to Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, all the contact numbers given by the senator are switched off.

The zonal committees of Karachi, Lahore and Sukkur had ended their meeting after they could not sight the Shawwal moon.

The meetings of zonal committees also took place in their respective areas, while the central committee met in the federal capital to gather witnesses from across the country.

Officials from the meteorological department, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), and the Ministry of Science and Technology are also attending the meeting. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has said that the crescent moon will be visible when it is 20 hours and 40 minutes old. The meetings of the zonal committees are taking place at their respective headquarters.

Members from the central and zonal committees are in attendance, while the RHC will make its decision based on testimonies from different parts of the country.

Earlier, the Meteorological Department had said that Pakistan would observe Eid-ul-Fitr on Friday, as there was "no chance" of citing the Shawwal moon on May 12, Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/pmdgov/status/1392144274960027653

The weather department said the new moon of Shawwal would be born on crossing conjunction point at "00-01 PST on 12-05-2021."

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE to celebrate Eid tomorrow

The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia confirmed that the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr will fall on Thursday, May 13.  

The moon-sighting committee confirmed Tuesday that the crescent moon of Shawwal, marking the end of the month of Ramadan, had not been sighted yet.

Therefore, Wednesday (May 12) will be the last and 30th day of Ramadan, and Thursday (May 13) will be observed as the first day of Eid ul Fitr. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have also announced that they will mark the first day of Eid on Thursday.

Muslims in the United Kingdom and Europe will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday, the central moon-sighting committee UK announced on Wednesday. Eid-ul-Fitr 1442 will be observed across Europe and the UK on May 13, said Islam Ali Shah.

Meanwhile, the Central Hilal Committee of North America has asked the Muslims to continue with their fasting until an announcement is made.