The Ruet-i-Hilal Committee announced on Sunday that the Zilhaj moon had been sighted and Eidul Azha will be celebrated on May 27.

The announcement came after the committee met earlier today in Karachi for the moon sighting, while meetings of zonal committees were also convened in Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar.

Addressing a press conference after the meetings, Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairperson Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad said skies were mostly clear in the country today except in some areas.

Resultantly, moon sighting testimonies were received from Karachi and other cities of Sindh, Mardan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and some other areas.

“Hence, it has been unanimously decided that first Zilhaj 1447 AH will be on May 18 (Monday) while Eidul Azha will fall on May 27 (Wednesday),” he said.

Earlier this week, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) had also forecast that Eidul Azha was expected to fall on May 27 as the “new moon of Zilhajj 1447 AH is expected to be born on May 17 at 1:01am”.

At sunset the same day, the age of the new moon would be approximately 18 hours and 30 minutes, it said in a statement, estimating an interval of 60 minutes between “sunset and moonset along the country’s coastal belt”.

“Based on these astronomical parameters, the chances of sighting the Zilhajj crescent on the evening of May 17 are considered favourable,“ Suparco said, adding it would be subject to clear weather conditions and visibility near the horizon.

“Consequently, the 1st Zilhajj 1447 AH is anticipated to fall on Monday, May 18, marking the conclusion of the holy month of Zilqad,” it said.

Therefore, Eidul Azha will fall on May 27, Suparco said.