File photo of a trader walking with his bulls ahead of Eidul Azha. Rizwan Tabassum—AFP
The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee on Monday announced that the Zil Hajj moon has been sighted in Pakistan and Eidul Azha will be celebrated nationwide on June 29 (Thursday). In a subsequent notification, the government announced Eid holidays from June 29 (Thursday)-July 1 (Saturday).
Announcing the decision, Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad said testimonies of the moon sighting had been received from several cities, including Karachi and Lahore. Additionally, he said, zonal committees of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee had met in their respective cities and also provided their inputs.
Apart from the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, representatives of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, SUPARCO, Department of Meteorology, and Ministry of Science and Technology were also present at the moon sighting. Following the announcement, the first of Zil Hajj would be observed on June 20 (today), with the Hajj congregation commencing from June 26 (Monday).
Earlier, the Met Office had predicted the moon sighting on June 19, as it expected the new moon to emerge on June 18 around 9:37 p.m. A day earlier, Saudi Arabia had announced that the Zil Hajj moon had been sighted, with Eidul Azha to be celebrated in the Gulf kingdom on Wednesday (June 28).
In a notification, the Cabinet Division announced that Eid holidays for offices that operate from Monday-Friday would be June 29-30, while for offices that operate from Monday-Saturday, they would be June 29-July 1.