LAHORE: Chairman Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman announced the sighting of moon for the month of Shawwal on Tuesday and said that Eidul Fitr will be celebrated on Wednesday, July 6.

The announcement was made by Mufti Muneeb after chairing a meeting of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.

The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee had convened the meeting to sight the moon for Eidul Fitr in Lahore, whereas zonal bodies of the committee also met in Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar and Islamabad.

Earlier during the meeting, Mufti Muneeb got furious over the person responsible for taking down notes from witnesses after he reportedly passed on information to media persons regarding the sighting of Shawwal moon.

“No claim of moon sighting has been made as of yet. What is being conveyed to media is not true,” he had said.

“If there will be some information, we will announce it ourselves,” one of the senior Ruet-i-Hilal Committee members said.

Mufti Muneeb later explained that it was a sensitive issue and the committee was being “constantly disturbed” by the news of witnesses claiming to have sighted the moon.

Shawwal moon not sighted in India, Bangladesh

Religious authorities in India and Bangladesh announced that Eidul Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramazan, will be celebrated on Thursday after Shawwal moon was not sighted in the neighbouring countries, DawnNews reported.

The crescent moon which marks the new lunar month was not sighted on Tuesday, and Wednesday would therefore be considered the 30th and final day of Ramazan, it reported.

The official news agencies of India and Bangladesh, too, quoted religious authorities as saying that the annual feast will begin on Thursday there.