ISLAMABAD: The crescent moon marking the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan has been sighted in Pakistan, and the first fast will be observed on Thursday, Chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad announced on Wednesday.
The announcement was made after a meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee held under his chairmanship, attended by members of both the central and zonal committees.
According to officials, zonal committee meetings were convened in provincial capitals, while testimonies of moon sighting were first received from Dir and Swabi, followed by six reports from Mohmand district. Committee members also confirmed receiving sighting reports from Karachi.
Following verification of the testimonies, Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad formally declared that the Ramadan moon for 1447 Hijri had been sighted and that the first day of fasting would fall on Thursday across the country.