Pakistan divided on Eid-ul-Fitr: North Waziristan and Bajaur to celebrate on Friday

However, it is important to note that Eid-ul-Fitr is being celebrated in the North Waziristan and Bajaur districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the rest of Pakistan is still observing Ramadan. Some of the residents of these areas have reported the sighting of the Shawwal moon on Thursday evening, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

This has led to some confusion and controversy, as the Central Royat Hilal Committee had earlier announced that no evidence of the moon sighting had been received from any part of the country. Nevertheless, the people in these districts have started celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr with traditional fervor and joy.

Earlier, it was reported that Pakistan is to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday, April 22, as no evidence of the Shawwal moon sighting was received from any part of the country. The Central Sighting of the Crescent Committee held a meeting in Islamabad to see the Shawwal moon but failed to receive any evidence of moon sighting in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Quetta.

The Chairman of the Central Sighting Crescent Committee, Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, presided over the meeting, and members of the Central Sighting Crescent Committee, representatives of the Meteorological Department, and representatives of SPARCO participated in the meeting.

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The Zonal Sighting of the Crescent Committee Lahore announced that there was no evidence of the sighting of the Shawwal moon from anywhere in Punjab, and the moon could be seen in Lahore until 7:10 PM.

Similarly, the zonal Ruet-e-Hilal committee in Karachi also failed to receive any evidence of the moon sighting. According to the Meteorological Department, the moon sighting time in Karachi was 7:17 PM on Friday.

Islamabad and Quetta also did not receive any evidence of a moon sighting, making it impossible for Pakistan to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Friday, April 21, as many Muslims around the world had expected.

It is important to note that the exact method of determining the start of the month of Shawwal may vary between different Muslim communities and countries. However, the traditional practice involves Muslims observing the crescent or new moon to determine the start of the tenth Islamic month of Shawwal, which marks the end of a month-long fasting of Ramadan and the beginning of the Eid-ul-Fitr festival.

While the West follows the Gregorian calendar, the Islamic calendar is lunar, which means it is based on the sighting of the crescent moon. Every year, Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr occur approximately 10-11 days earlier, depending on when the crescent moon is sighted. The lunar months are shorter than solar months, which means the date of Eid-ul-Fitr varies from country to country by about a day.