Eid ul Fitr 2023: Will SBP issue fresh currency notes this year?

As Pakistanis gear up for the Eid ul Fitr — a religious festival celebrated by Muslims across the world — they are also looking for ways to get fresh currency notes to distribute among children as Eidi.

Ahead of Eid, the demand for crisp, new currency notes of various denominations for Eidi, is growing but unfortunately, the supply isn’t enough to match the demand as people are trying to get hold of fresh notes in their personal capacities.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) issues billions of fresh currency notes on Eid every year. However, it will not issue fresh currency notes for the general public this time, central bank's spokesperson confirmed Geo.tv.

What makes the Eid ul Fitr a bigger and sweeter occasion than Eid ul Adha — at least in children’s eyes — is the traditional cash gifts called ‘Eidi.’

When is Eid ul Fitr 2023?

While the people are expecting Eid ul Fitr to be on April 21, Ruet-e-Hilal Research Council Secretary General Khalid Aijaz has ruled out the possibility, saying that the moon will not be sighted on April 20.

Speaking to Geo News, the official earlier said that the crescent marking beginning of Shawwal will be sighted after the completion of 30 days of Ramadan, according to which Eid ul Fitr will fall on April 22, Saturday.

Aijaz also predicted the time of the moon sighting, saying that the new crescent will be born at 9:13am on April 20 and its age will be less than 10 hours that day.

"For the crescent to be sighted, the duration should be more than 19 hours and even if the sky is clear that day [April 20], the moon wouldn't be spotted," he said.

Therefore, any testimony received on April 20 will be false as the month of Ramadan will last for 30 days and the 1st Shawwal will fall on April 22.

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is set to meet on April 20 for the sighting of the Eid ul Fitr crescent moon, a statement from the religious affairs ministry said on Tuesday.