The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) announced on Thursday that the crescent moon marking Muharram-ul-Haram 1448 AH is unlikely to be sighted on June 15. The interval between the moon’s birth and sunset will be too short to allow for its visibility.
In its advisory, the Met Office stated that although weather conditions are expected to be clear in many parts of the country, the moon is predicted to be born at 7:54 a.m. on June 15. Consequently, it will not be visible by sunset on Zil Hajj 29.
The PMD also shared moonset timings for various regions: 7:59 p.m. in Punjab, 8:55 p.m. in Sindh, 8:23 p.m. in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 8:34 p.m. in Balochistan. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the moon will set at 8:00 p.m., while in Azad Jammu and Kashmir it will remain visible until 8:07 p.m.
In a significant development, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will make the final decision regarding the start of the Islamic year after collecting moon sighting reports from across Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Home Department has formally requested the Ministry of Interior to deploy Pakistan Army and Pakistan Rangers personnel throughout the province to ensure security during Muharram-ul-Haram. This request follows a recommendation from Punjab Police for additional security support during the religious month.
The department has sought the deployment of 137 companies across 39 districts in Punjab to assist in maintaining law and order and enhancing security arrangements during Muharram.
