The Zilhaj moon has been sighted in Pakistan, announced Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman on Friday evening.

"Eidul Azha will be celebrated in Pakistan on Aug 12," he said. The chairman made the announcement in Karachi before the media after receiving moon sighting testimonies.

The chairman said that the committee had received 72 testimonies from across the country.

The government on Wednesday had announced that August 12, 13, 14 and 15 will be observed as holidays on account of Eidul Azha.

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior, Saturday, August 17, however, will be a working day.

In June, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry had already announced that this year, Eidul Azha will fall on Monday, Aug 12.

The minister had made the announcement on the basis of a 'scientific' lunar calendar launched by the ministry in June in order to end controversies over the sighting of the moon for Islamic months.

The calendar, which can be accessed through Pakistan's "first official" moonsighting website as well as a mobile application, indicates scientifically determined dates for all major Islamic festivals/days for the ongoing and next years.

The launch of the website had attracted much opposition from religious factions, which insisted that the sighting of the moon should be done in person and regardless of scientific evidence.