By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Ruet-e-Hilal Research Council said Eid al-Adha was expected to be observed in Pakistan on Wednesday, 27 May, according to scientific calculations.
The council’s secretary general, Khalid Ijaz Mufti, said that based on astronomical data there was a strong likelihood that Eid al-Adha would be celebrated in the country on 27 May.
He said the new moon would be born on the night between 16 and 17 May at 1:15am Pakistan time. He added that at sunset on 17 May, the age of the moon in most parts of Pakistan would be slightly more than 18 hours, which was considered suitable for sighting.
He further said that if cloudy weather prevented the sighting of the moon across the country on the evening of 17 May, then the month of Zilhaj would be completed as 30 days, and the first of Zilhaj would fall on 19 May, a Tuesday.
He said there was an expectation that this year Eid al-Adha would be observed on the same day in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, on 27 May.
