Shawwal moon sighted, Eid to be observed tomorrow

KARACHI: The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee has announced that the Shawwal moon has been sighted, therefore, Eid in Pakistan will be observed tomorrow (Sunday).

The committee’s session to sight the Shawwal moon was held in Karachi with Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman in the chair, while meetings of the zonal committees took place at their respective provincial headquarters. The Pakistan Meteorological Department experts were also a part of the session.

Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman said that decision was made after receiving  authentic testimonies from Balochistan’s Chaman and Pasni areas.

Responding  to a question about Federal Science Minister  Fawad Chaudhry, Mufti Muneeb demanded  that Prime Minister Imran Khan  must stop him from interfering in the religious matters. 

He said that the minister “has no real authority” to decide over such matters and  rejected the perception that the announcement was  made under any pressure from the government.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Sunday as the moon sighted.

Saudi Arabia and UAE officials said that mosques would remain closed for prayers on Eid-ul-Fitr. They have called on the people to adhere to safety guidelines to avoid the spread of coronavirus.

Religious authorities in Jerusalem, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Libya and Lebanon also said that Eid will be observed on Sunday. 

Saudi Arabia has placed full curfew for the holiday period after easing some of its restrictive measures during Ramazan.

Many Muslim countries around the world have called on their citizens to limit their movement and face to face contact during this year’s celebrations, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

UAE has also announced that Sunday will be the first day of Shawwal marking the beginning of Eid-ul-Fitr.