Eid ul Fitr: Ruet-e-Hilal Committee to meet today to sight Shawwal moon

ISLAMABAD: The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will meet today (Thursday) to sight the moon of Eid ul Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan.

The meeting will be held in Islamabad, where members of the committee will review testimonies of moon sightings from across the country before announcing whether the Shawwal moon has been sighted.

If the crescent is confirmed, Eid ul Fitr will be observed in Pakistan accordingly.

It is noteworthy that the Shawwal moon was not sighted in Saudi Arabia yesterday (Wednesday), where Eid will be celebrated on Friday. However, Eid ul Fitr is being observed in Afghanistan today.

The first Shawwal is more likely to fall on March 21 in Pakistan after a 30-day Ramadan, with experts saying the chances of sighting the Shawwal crescent on the evening of March 19 are low.

“The new moon of Shawwal 1447 AH is expected to be born on March 19, 2026, at 06:23 PST,” the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) said on Wednesday.

“At the time of sunset on March 19, 2026, the age of the new moon will be approximately 12 hours and 41 minutes, with an estimated 28-minute interval between sunset and moonset along Pakistan's coastal belt,” it added.

The Muslim world welcomes Eid ul Fitr with deep religious devotion, after over a billion believers fast for a month to practice patience, self-discipline, and generosity.

Pakistan began the first fast of Ramadan 2026 on February 19, following the announcement of the crescent moon sighting by Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad.

Islamic months last 29 or 30 days, with their start and end determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, so Ramadan does not fall on the same Gregorian date each year.

As the ninth month of the 12-month Islamic calendar — which is about 10 days shorter than the Gregorian year due to its lunar basis — Ramadan shifts annually across the Gregorian calendar.