The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Thursday said that there are no chances of Muharram-ul-Haram 1448 AH moon sighting on June 15 , as the interval between the birth of the moon and sunset will be insufficient for crescent visibility.
In an advisory issued today, the Met Office said that weather conditions are expected to remain clear in several parts of the country, but the moon will likely be born at 7:54am on June 15, so it would not be visible by sunset on Zil Hajj 29.
The PMD provided details of moonset timings across different regions of the country, saying the moon is expected to set at 7:59pm in Punjab, 8:55pm in Sindh, 8:23pm in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 8:34pm in Balochistan.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, the moon will set at 8:00pm, while in Azad Jammu and Kashmir it will remain visible until 8:07pm.
The final announcement regarding the beginning of the Islamic year will be made by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee after receiving evidence from across Pakistan.
In this regard, the Punjab Home Department had written to the Ministry of Interior seeking the deployment of Pakistan Army and Pakistan Rangers personnel across the province for security arrangements during Muharram-ul-Haram.
According to a Punjab Home Department spokesperson, the request was made following a recommendation from Punjab Police for additional security assistance during Muharram.
The department has sought the services of 137 companies in 39 districts of Punjab to help maintain law and order and strengthen security arrangements during the religious month.
