RHC to meet on Tuesday for Ramadan moon sighting

ISLAMABAD: The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will hold an unprecedented meeting in Peshawar on April 13 (Tuesday) for the sighting of the Ramadan moon as it is likely to be joined by Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai for the first time.

RHC chief Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad told a press conference on Wednesday that Mufti Popalzai, who headed the unofficial moon-sighting body at the historic Qasim Ali Khan Mosque in Peshawar, would extend full cooperation to the central one.

He said that the meeting would be held in Peshawar to develop consensus about the start of Ramadan across the country the same day and ensure that no one complains about the sighting of the moon.

The start of the holy month is determined by the lunar calendar that, unlike the Gregorian calendar, follows a 29- or 30-day cycle determined by the cycle of the moon.

This will be the first Ramadan moon sighting under the new chairman — Azad who is also Khateeb of Badshahi Masjid in Lahore — who was appointed by the government in December last, in place of Mufti Muneebur Rehman who was removed following a 23-year stint.

Azad said in January that he would try his best to bring harmony in observing Ramadan and celebrating Eid in the country in the years to come. “The entire nation will observe unified Ramadan fasting and Eidul Fitr,” he had said.

The meeting of the Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Islamabad will be held at the Ministry of Religious Affairs at Pakistan Secretariat.

The meetings of provincial, district, and zonal committees will be held at their respective provincial and district headquarters.

Subsequently, the chairman will announce the decision of moon sighting or otherwise on the basis of information received.

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology and Meteorological Department, the chances of sighting the moon of Ramadan will be bright in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Karachi on Tuesday evening. Thereby, Ramadan will most likely begin on Wednesday.