The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee on Wednesday announced that the crescent for Ramadan 2023 was sighted in Pakistan; and first Ramadan will be observed on Thursday, March 23.

Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad announced this during a press conference in Peshawar.

He said testimonies were received from different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, including Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Swabi, Charsadda and other cities.

“Based on these testimonies, it was decided that the Ramadan moon has been sighted in the country, and first Ramadan will be observed on Thursday,” he said.

Maulana Khabir mentioned that the sky was clouded in several parts of the country, but testimonies were received from other areas where the sky was clear.

He said that the moon could not be sighted in zonal committee meetings of Lahore, Quetta and Karachi.

Earlier, Deputy Director Meteorological Department Alamzeb had said that the moon of Ramadan could be seen in Peshawar for about 24 minutes, and it could be sighted between 6:53 am to 7:13 pm.