Islamabad, May 18, 2026 – The Europe Today: The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee on Sunday announced that the moon of Zilhajj 1447 AH had been sighted across Pakistan, and Eidul Azha would be observed on May 27.
Addressing a press conference following the committee’s meeting, Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad said the skies remained mostly clear in many parts of the country, facilitating moon sighting observations.
He stated that testimonies confirming the sighting of the crescent moon were received from Karachi and other parts of Sindh, as well as from Mardan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and several other regions.
“Therefore, it has been decided that the first of Zilhajj 1447 AH will fall on May 18, while Eidul Azha will be observed on May 27,” he said.
According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, the meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee for moon sighting was held at the Meteorological Department in Karachi on May 17.
The meeting was chaired by the committee chairman, while zonal Ruet-e-Hilal committee meetings were simultaneously conducted at provincial headquarters, including Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar.
Earlier, on May 12, Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) had forecast that Eidul Azha in Pakistan was likely to be observed on May 27 based on astronomical calculations.
SUPARCO had stated that the new moon of Zilhajj 1447 AH was expected to be born on May 17 at 1:01am Pakistan Standard Time, adding that at sunset on the same day, the moon’s age would be approximately 18 hours and 30 minutes.
