LAHORE: The Shawwal moon may not be visible anywhere in the country on the evening of 29 Ramazan, according to astronomers, so Eidul Fitr is likely to fall on Tuesday, May 3, this year (Sunday, May 1).
During the night of April 30 to May 1, the new moon will rise around 1:28 a.m., according to the forecasters.
Even with a telescope, observers in Pakistan will be unable to catch a glimpse of the lunar eclipse since the dimensional difference between the moon and the sun is just 8 degrees.
Contrary to popular belief, the supposed 40-minute lag between sunset and moonset in most of the country will be a whopping 89 minutes.
As a result, if the sky is clear on Monday night, the moon will be visible in all parts of the nation for a long period.
Meanwhile, as is customary, the meteorological agency has not yet notified the Ministry of Religious Affairs of their request for information on a moon sighting.
Unconfirmed sightings are expected to be permitted on the evening of May 1 to coincide with Saudi Arabia’s Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations, according to reports.
It was further claimed that the federal minister for religious affairs was a member of Mufti Popalzai’s committee and had a history of stirring up controversy whenever he mentions the moon.
Works at The Truth International Magazine. My area of interest includes international relations, peace & conflict studies, qualitative & quantitative research in social sciences, and world politics. Reach@ aimen.bukhari@tti.org.pk
