Pakistan to celebrate Eid on Saturday after moon not sighted

Pakistan will celebrate Eid ul Fitr on Saturday, March 21, after the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee said no credible moon-sighting testimony was received from anywhere in the country. The announcement was made in Islamabad after the committee’s meeting on Thursday evening.

Committee chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad said Ramadan would complete 30 days this year. Meteorological assessments cited in the report indicated that the moon’s age and visibility conditions were too weak for a confirmed sighting in Pakistan.

The development aligns Pakistan’s Eid date with several other countries where the Shawwal crescent was also not confirmed on Thursday. Geo reported that the moon had not been sighted in Gulf states a day earlier either, while regional observance patterns differed elsewhere.

The announcement settles one of the most widely followed public questions in Pakistan during Ramadan, with families, businesses and travellers now preparing for Eid on Saturday.