Ruet-e-Hilal Committee meeting underway for Zilhajj moon sighting

Muslims in Pakistan will celebrate Eid ul Azha on May 27 if the Zilhajj moon is sighted today, as the meeting of the Central and Zonal Ruete-Hilal Committees to sight the moon in Karachi and other provinces has started, 24NewsHD TV reported on Sunday. 

The key session is being held at the office of the Pakistan Meteorological Department in Karachi under the chairmanship of Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad.

Officials said representatives from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, meteorological authorities, and religious scholars were attending the meeting to review moon sighting testimonies from across the country.

Among those participating in the session are Ministry of Religious Affairs representative Hafiz Abdul Qadoos, Allama Yaseen Zafar, Pir Habibullah Chishti, Abdul Malik Brohi, and Mufti Fazal Jameel Rizvi, along with other committee members.

The committee is expected to announce its official decision after evaluating reports received from different parts of Pakistan.

The meeting of the Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will be held at Aiwan-e-Auqaf in Lahore today to receive eyewitness accounts of the Zil Hajj moon sighting from across the Punjab.

The director general of religious affairs will chair the committee’s meeting.

The Zonal Committee will then send these reports to the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, which will then decide whether the moon has been sighted or not.

On the other hand, the Met Office has said that since the moon's age will be over 18 hours, chances of moon sighting are brighter today.

If the moon is sighted today, the first of Zil Hajj will begin tomorrow, Monday, May 18, with Eid ul Adha falling on Wednesday, May 27.

Otherwise, Eid will be celebrated on May 28.

Reporter: Shahid Sipra