PMD's forecast for Ramadan moon sighting

KARACHI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said Wednesday that there are chances of the Ramadan moon being sighted today, but the weather is cloudy.

The moon can be sighted at around 7:28pm today in Karachi, the PMD officials said during the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee's Zonal meeting in Karachi.

If the committee sights the moon in the port city, it will inform the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, which is holding the Ramadan moon sighting meeting in Peshawar.

Chairman Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad is chairing the Peshawar meeting and said that he would finalise the Ramadan moon sighting decision based on eyewitness accounts.

Earlier, an official of the Ministry of Religious Affairs told The News along with holding meetings of the committee in all provinces in rotation, the purpose for holding the meeting this time in Peshawar is also to create consensus on the sighting of the crescent of Ramadan on the same day.

He said that along with receiving calls for evidence, the committee would also invite people from the private Ruet committees to record their statements. The committee will also cross-question people recording their evidence to ascertain the same.