The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee on Friday announced that the Ramadan moon was not sighted and the first day of Ramadan would start on March 2, Sunday.
Chairman Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Maulana Abdul Khabeer, addressed the press conference in which he stated that multiple testimonies were received about the Ramadan crescent not being sighted from all over the country.
The committee began its ceremony at 6:30pm after the Maghrib prayer to find out the crescent which would mark the beginning of Ramdan in Pakistan.
The first Roza across Pakistan, including major cities like Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, and Quetta, will be observed on March 2.
Earlier, Maulana Khabeer expressed his wish of country starting the sacred month of Ramadan on the same day.
The religious scholar, while talking to the media stated: “We not only have scholars from all sects, but we also have representatives from the Ministry of Science and Technology, [Pakistan] Meteorological Department (PMD), and Suparco. We also take recommendations from everywhere, but we decide in line with religious teachings.”
He assured the people that the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee has never disregarded science.
It merits a mention that previously meteorological forecasts had indicated low probability of Ramadan moon being sighted on February 28. The PMD had stated: “Due to cloudy weather, the chance of sighting the Ramadan moon are low. [on February 28]”
The holy month of Ramadan represents a sacred time for the Muslim communities across the globe as Muslims observe a fast from sunrise to sunset.
On February 24, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) also disclosed that the probability of Ramadan moon being sighted on Friday was “extremely low.”
It had forecasted that Ramadan 2025 would start on March 2 in Pakistan while the Eid-ul-Fitr would be observed on March 31.
