The Pakistan Meteorological Department has indicated that there is a “fair chance” of sighting the Ramazan moon on the evening of February 18, according to an official communication issued to the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
In a letter dated January 26, the department’s Climate Data Processing Centre in Karachi said the new moon of Ramazan would be born at 5:01pm on February 17, at the time of conjunction.
Based on astronomical parameters, the department assessed that there was a reasonable likelihood of the crescent being visible on February 18, corresponding to 1447 AH. The letter added that weather conditions across most parts of the country were expected to be partly cloudy to fair, which could support visibility.
The PMD also outlined the expected last times for moon sighting on February 18 in different regions. In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the crescent is expected to remain visible until 6:58pm. In Balochistan, the time is 7:47pm, while in Gilgit-Baltistan it is 6:53pm.
For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the expected last sighting time is 7:13pm, in Punjab 7:08pm, and in Sindh 7:24pm.
The final announcement regarding the beginning of Ramazan will be made by the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee following its meeting and consideration of both scientific data and eyewitness testimonies.