LAHORE, Sept 23: The Ramazan moon had not been sighted anywhere in the country, therefore, the holy month would begin from Monday, announced the Markazi Ruet-i-Hilal Committee here on Saturday.

Committee Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman told reporters that no report of the sighting of the moon had been received from any part in the country.

He said the meteorological department’s 32 observatories across the country also did not report the sighting of the moon and Suparco had earlier informed the committee that there was no chance of the sighting of the moon on Saturday evening.

NWFP: Meanwhile, in Peshawar the Zonal Ruet-i-Hilal Committee announced the sighting of the Ramazan moon and said that the holy month would begin in the NWFP from Sunday.

NWFP Minister for Religious Affairs Maulana Amanullah Haqqani, who heads the committee, announced after a long meeting that on the basis of 18 witnesses, they had come to the conclusion that the moon had been sighted.

Answering a question about the announcement of the central committee, Mr Haqqani said that they had forwarded the 18 evidences to the central committee but it had not accepted their witnesses. He added that under the Shariat, they were bound to declare the first day of Ramazan on Sunday.

A local committee of Ulema also announced the sighting of the moon on Saturday.