Shawwal moon has been sighted and Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in the country on August 31, announced Chairman Central Ruet-i- Hilal Committee, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman here at the Met Office on Tuesday. The committee held its meeting at the office of the Meteorological Department Complex, University Road to collect evidence of moon sighting from its zonal committees all over the country.

"The moon has been sighted at various places of Balochistan and Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa despite an overcast sky in most of parts of Pakistan," he added. Mufti Muneeb said that the committee has received evidence of moon sighting by witnesses from parts of Karachi, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar in Sindh, Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Vehari, Rawalpindi and Sialkot in the Punjab.

He said that 1st of Shawwal, 1432 Hijra will be on Wednesday, corresponding with August 31, 2011 in the country. All the members of Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee were present on the occasion and were assisted by members of zonal committees in different headquarters. Besides, experts from Met Office, Suparco and Pakistan Navy also assisted the committee.

Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2011