The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has said that the Muharram moon is not likely to be sighted on Saturday when the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is all set to convene a moon-sighting meeting in Quetta tomorrow.
Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, who chairs the moon-sighting body, will preside over the meeting to sight the moon for the first month of the Islamic calendar, 1446 Hijri.
The meetings of zonal and district bodies of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will also simultaneously be held at their respective headquarters.
The PMD, in its statement issued on June 20, said that the new moon of Muharram would be born on the crossing conjunction point at 03:57 PST on July 6. According to astronomical parameters, there is no chance of sighting the new moon of Muharram on the evening of July 6, i.e. on the 29th of Zilhij 1445 AH.
The PMD said that the weather is expected to be partly cloudy or cloudy in most parts of the country as the moon-sighting body gets busy.
Moreover, the federal government rejected several provincial governments’ requests to suspend access to social media platforms during a few days of Muharramul Haram, according to sources.
The provincial governments had sought the suspension of six social media applications for around a week during Muharram due to security concerns.
Faithful hold processions across the country in Muharram, while religious scholars address huge gatherings amid tight security, with thousands of law enforcers deployed to ensure security during the month.
