Ruet-e-Hilal Committee predicts expected Eid date in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Secretary General of the Ruet‑e‑Hilal Committee of Pakistan has predicted the possible Eid al-Fitr date for the country.

The crescent moon will not be sighted on the evening of Thursday, March 19, 2026, because it will not be visible across Pakistan, which makes moon sighting for that day impossible, according to him.

According to the statement, the new crescent moon will appear on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 0623 Pakistan Standard Time PST. The moon will reach an age of 12 to 13 hours at sunset on March 19, making it impossible to see with the naked eye because the moon will be too young.

The religious practice of moon sighting requires that the moon must be at least 19 hours old before people can start seeing it. The regions of Pakistan will not achieve successful Hilal sighting on the evening of 29th Ramadan 1447 AH, which occurs on March 19.

The announcement establishes the national holiday schedule for Eid al-Fitr celebrations. The astronomical data indicate that between sunset and moonset, the major cities of Karachi and Peshawar will not meet the standard moon sighting requirements because they will only have a 26 to 30 minute interval, which is below the 40 minute interval needed for reliable crescent visibility.

March 19 marks the day when the Moon will not be seen, which leads to Ramadan 1447 AH ending as a 30-day month according to Islamic custom. Shawwal 1, which is the first day after Ramadan, will start on Saturday, March 21 2026.

The Secretary General of the Ruet‑e‑Hilal Committee announced that Eid‑ul‑Fitr celebrations will take place throughout Pakistan on that date. The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee will hold a meeting with zonal committees.