Pakistan's Ruet body meets next week for Ramadan moon sighting

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s moon-sighting body, the Ruet-e-Hilal committee, will meet on March 22 in Peshawar to look for the Ramadan crescent.

Ruet-e-Hilal committee chief Maulana Syed Abdul Khabir Azad will lead the meeting of the central committee, which will also be attended by the other officials.

In a notification issued from Ministry of Religious Affairs, it said “The meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee for sighting the crescent of Ramadan-ul-Mubarik 1444 AH will be held In-Shaa-Allah in the evening of Wednesday, the 22nd March.

It further mentioned that meetings of the zonal or district committees will be held at the same time at their respective headquarters.

Earlier, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted the possible date of starting the holy month of Ramadan 2023. PMD said that the possibility of sighting the new moon of Ramadan on March 22 (Wednesday).

The weather forecast institution made the announcement as Muslims in the South Asian country are waiting eagerly for the start of the holy month.

PMD said the new moon of the ninth Islamic month is expected to be born on the crossing conjunction point at 22-23 PST on 21-03-2023, and the first Ramadan will be on March 23, Thursday. Met Department also predicted partly clear weather in most parts of the country on the evening of March 22.

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As PMD makes predictions about the moon, an official meeting of the moon sighting body Ruet-e-Hilal committee will be held in Islamabad to sight the crescent.