The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Monday, May 2, after getting some evidence of a Shawwal moon sighting, Aaj News reported.
In an official statement, KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said that he will offer Eid prayers at the Governor’s House Peshawar on Monday morning.
Most of the cabinet members and government officials will also offer Eid-ul-Fitr prayers with the Chief Minister.
The announcement contradicts the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee's decision, which earlier said that the Shawwal moon was not sighted, and Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Tuesday, May 3.
Shawwal moon not sighted, first day of Eid-ul-Fitr on Tuesday
The Ruet-e-Hilal Committee met at the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony in Islamabad with Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad in the chair, while the zonal committees held meetings in their respective cities to sight the Shawwal crescent.
The committee announced that it did not receive any reports related to the sighting of the moon of Shawwal 1443 AH today.
“It was decided through consensus that Eid will be observed on May 3 across the country,” said Maulana Azad in a press conference after the moon was not sighted.
The zonal committees in Lahore and Karachi had announced that they were unable to sight the Shawwal moon and neither had they received any witnesses claiming the crescent was sighted in Punjab and Sindh, respectively.
Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had ruled out the sighting of the Shawwal moon on May 1. Citing astronomical parameters, it said that there is “no chance” of sighting the new moon of Shawwal, 1443 AH on the evening of May 1, 2022, i.e. on the 29th of Ramazan, 1443 AH.
“The new moon of Shawwal, 1443 AH will be born on crossing conjunction point at 1:28 am,” it added.
At the time of the sighting, the age of the moon was 17 hours, and according to the PMD, the age of the moon must be 19 hours in order to sight it.
Meanwhile, South Waziristan and Afghanistan are celebrating Eid today after the Shawwal moon was sighted in the area yesterday.