Govt announces 5-day public holidays for Eidul Fitr

The federal government on Thursday declared a nationwide public holiday for five days on the occasion of Eidul Fitr, Express News reported.

The holidays will begin on Friday, April 21, and run until Tuesday, April 25, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior.

Earlier, the Ruet-e-Hilal Research Council (RHRC) said that Eidul Fitr is likely to be celebrated across the nation this year on Saturday, April 22.

The council's Secretary-General, Khalid Ijaz Mufti, said that the committee's meeting is set to convene on Thursday, April 20, in order to sight the Shawwal moon.

If the crescent is sighted on Thursday evening, then Eidul Fitr will be celebrated on Friday, April 21. However, he added, it was unlikely that the moon will be sighted the same evening.

Read more: Moon-sighting researcher predicts likely Eid date

He said that Eid will most likely be celebrated on April 22 after completing 30 fasting days of the holy month of Ramazan.

According to the council, the birth of the moon is expected to occur on Thursday, April 20, at 9:13am Pakistan time. On the evening of the 29th of Ramazan, the moon's age at sunset should be more than 19 hours for sighting. However, in all areas of Pakistan, it will be less than 10 hours, it added.

It said that the difference between sunset and moonset, which should be more than 40 minutes, will only be 21 minutes in Peshawar, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Charsadda, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Quetta, and Jiwani, and 20 minutes in Lahore and Karachi.

Eidul Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramazan, during which Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. The festival is typically celebrated with prayers, family gatherings, and feasting.

The exact date of Eidul Fitr is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, which marks the beginning of the Islamic month of Shawwal.