ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has announced that the chances of sighting the Shawwal moon on March 19 are unlikely, suggesting that Ramzan may complete 30 days this year.
According to the Deputy Director of the Meteorological Department, Anjum Nazir, “The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee meeting will be held in Islamabad on March 19 to decide on the Eid date after analyzing the sighting of the moon.”
The Shawwal moon is expected to be born on March 19 at 6:23 am in Pakistan Standard Time. By sunset on March 19, the moon will be only 12 hours old, and it is extremely unlikely that the moon will be seen on that day.
Nazir said that “scientifically, the crescent becomes visible only after 14 hours, even through a telescope.” He said that “it is not possible to see the moon even with the naked eye, and even through a telescope, it would be extremely difficult to see the crescent moon on March 19.”
He said, “Based on scientific calculations, the visibility of the crescent on March 19 is practically impossible.”
Given these conditions, meteorological experts believe that Ramadan will likely complete 30 days, and the first of Shawwal Eid-ul-Fitr is expected to fall on Saturday, March 21.
However, the final decision will be announced by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee after evaluating moon-sighting testimonies from across the country.
Eid ul Fitr 2026 expected date
Eid ul Fitr is expected to be observed from March 21 to March 23, depending on the moon sighting on March 20.
Similarly, Eid ul fitr 2026 holidays will be announced after the confirmation of the Shawwal moon sighting.
The Eid-ul-Fitr holidays will be merged with Pakistan Day holidays, as the Shawwal moon is likely to be sighted on March 20, which means Eid holidays will also be on March 23.
