Ramazan moon to be seen on April 24, says PMD

Experts reject all possibility of sighting moon on Thursday, 29th of Shaban

KARACHI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has said the crescent heralding the holy month of Ramazan will be sighted across Pakistan on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 will be the first day of fasting.

The PMD – the national weather service – rejected all possibility of moon sighting on Thursday, April 23.

Earlier, on February 27, the Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry also claimed in a tweet that the first Ramazan would fall on April 25.

انشااللہ رمضان المبارک کا چاند 24 اپریل کو پورے ملک میں دیکھا جا سکے گا اور25 اپریل کوپہلاروزہ ہو گا،روئت ھلال کمیٹی نے ذیعقداور رجب دونوں کی غلط تاریخ دیں 5 مارچ کو پارلیمان کی مذہبی امور کی کمیٹیوں کو بریفنگ دیں گے کہ عید اور اسلامی تہوار تقسیم نہیں اتحاد کا باعث بننے چاہئیں۔

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) February 27, 2020

He had also claimed that the country’s official moon sighting committee – the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee – had erred while announcing the Islamic months of Ziqad and Rajab.

Talking to The Express Tribune, a prominent Pakistani scientist and the University of Karachi’s Institute of Planetary and Astrophysics former director Dr Shahid Qureshi said in most of the countries of the world including Pakistan, Ramazan crescent will be seen on Friday, April 24.

“The Ramazan crescent will be ‘born’ in Pakistan on Thursday, April 23 at 7:25am Pakistan time – on the 29th of the lunar month of Shaban – and will be seen on Friday,” he said.

He said on the evening of April 23, the moon could not be seen from any place in the world, adding that on Thursday evening in Karachi, the moon will be only of 11 hours and 32 minutes old and will be less than 5 degrees above the horizon.

On April 23, the moon will remain on the horizon of Karachi for less than 18 minutes after sunset.

“Due to the presence of the moon for only 18 minutes with a height of 5 degrees on the horizon, it cannot be seen even with binoculars. Below 8 degrees on the horizon, the probability of the moon's sighting is almost zero, and even at 8 degrees, the probability of moon sighting is extremely limited.”

According to Dr Qureshi, at the sunset on April 24, the moon will be 35 hours, and 32 minutes old; will be about 16 degrees above the horizon and will remain on horizon for 1 hour 10 minutes after sunset.

“So, on Friday, April 24, Hilal [crescent] will be seen in Pakistan and around the world, including Karachi, and the first fast will be observed on April 25,” he said.

With additional input from News Desk